Reincarnated
by Water-Rose
Summary: IYxRK: Kagome comes back home for awhile and she ends up meeting her new neighbors with a boy in her grade. Why does he have a jewel shard? Why does he look like the Battousi? Will he be trouble for the group...R&R! COMPLETE!
1. Kazuki and Kagome's Secret

**Disclaimer: I do not own any anime, videogames, card games, board games, TV shows, cartoons, reality shows, monkeys, unicorns, endorsements deals, TV ads, or anything else that a normal teenager wouldn't own. I do however own Kazuki. Enjoy!**

Rating: PG-13

Type: Inuyasha and Rurouni Kenshin Crossover

Summary: Today on Inuyasha, Kagome travel backs to the present time and senses another Jewel Shard. A new boy in school possesses the shard and he's becoming suspicious of Kagome and her 'illnesses'. She can sense a strange power coming from the boy and it's not from the shard! Will she be able to retrieve the shard and still be able to keep her travels a secret? Find out today on Inuyasha!

Kazuki and Kagome's Secret!

"Are you sure you wish to go back now Lady Kagome?" Miroku asked. Everyone, except for Inuyasha, was gathered at the bone-eaters well for a meeting. "You still have a few days before you need to get back to your own time."

Kagome sighed and looked at her comrades, "I think Inuyasha needs a break for awhile. And me being here isn't going to help. Besides, I'm falling way behind in my schoolwork!" Everyone reluctantly agreed and bid farewell to Kagome as she jumped down into the well. Kagome landed with a soft thud and she slowly stood up. "What if next time Inuyasha doesn't go back…and he just… No Kagome, don't think such things. He's stronger than that. I hope…" She climbed out of the well and headed for the house. When she walked in her mother was talking to a woman. They were conversing about the best places to shop and what roads to avoid. Kagome's mother looked towards her daughter and was a little surprised to see her. She smiled and waved to her.

"Kagome! I didn't expect to see you today! Weren't you going to be with your friends for a few more days?"

Kagome nearly melted out of her socks. Doesn't she realize that other woman is here!

Kagome's mother's smile went wider and she looked at the other woman, "She was staying with some friends for awhile and I didn't expect her back." The woman smiled and nodded. "Kagome, this is Mrs. Kitakawa. She and her family just moved into the old house next door. You want to come help move them in?" Ms. Higarashi waited for a reply but Kagome still stood there in disbelief. "Or…do you want to go to school today?"

Kagome shook the thoughts out of her head and forced a smile. "I better go to school today." She laughed nervously and picked up bag so she could clean it out first in her room. Kagome walked backwards towards the stairs still waving to them when she walked right into someone. Stuff went flying everywhere out of Kagome's bag including the few Jewel shards her and her group still had.

"Nice outfit…did you stop by the edge of the road for a snack or something? Never mind, judging by the noodles in your bag you didn't need to." Kagome looked up to see a redheaded boy staring down at her with a bored look on his face. She turned red and hurriedly began picking up her items.

"Kazuki! How rude! Apologize to her and help her pick up her stuff!" Mrs. Kitakawa yelled at the boy apparently known as Kazuki. He groaned and helped Kagome pick up her supplies. Kagome was still furious at the boy so when they finished she didn't bother to thank him.

Kagome double-checked her bag to make sure everything was there. Everything was except for the jewel shard container. "Oh no! Where did it go?" She could still sense the shards and she realized that the boy was looking at them. "Hey! Give me those!" She tried snatching for them but the boy managed to hold them above their heads. She jumped up and down trying to grab them from him but the managed to dodge her hands. He laughed and gave her the jar.

"Jeez, I was just looking at them. They look like the one I got." The boy pulled up his necklace from his shirt to reveal a jewel fragment. Kagome was tempted to steal it from him but there was no way she could without him hurting her.

Kagome's thoughts were interrupted when her mother spoke, "Kagome, why don't you show Kazuki the way to school. He's in the same grade as you and he doesn't know the way yet. Go take a quick shower and get changed first though!" Kagome glared at the boy and went up to her room. When she was done taking a shower and changing she came back down. Kazuki was swinging his necklace around his finger as if he held no value to him. They said good-bye to their mothers and headed off to school.

They were about half way there and nether one of them had said a word. Kagome was staring at her feet and Kazuki had his hands behind his head like he didn't have a care in the world. She studied his features closely: Long red hair, violet eyes, and it was obvious he worked out a little. Plus she thought he was somewhat cute.

"Tell me, do you normally stare at people, or do you think if you stare long enough I'll blow up. Believe me, it doesn't work…I've been trying for awhile…"

She jumped when she heard his voice. She turned her head trying not to look him in the eyes. "Sorry, yeesh. Hey…wait! What do you mean you've been trying awhile?" He ignored her question and continued walking. "You are so obnoxious! One question, where did you get that shard?"

He stopped so Kagome could catch up with her. "Let's see…I think a rabid squirrel had it. I had to shoot it and this thing was in its forehead. Pain probably drove it nuts or something. Where did you get yours?"

Kagome jumped a little. "Mine? Uh, from a friend," she lied and quickened her pace. "Let's get going before we're late!"

Throughout the day she couldn't help but wonder about Kazuki and the shard. She needed to get it away from him without his knowing. At lunch her friends nagged at her telling her how could she do this to Hojo. She chose to ignore them and continued to eat her lunch while random girls in her grade bugged Kazuki. During history she nearly fell asleep. The teacher smacked his ruler on her desk to wake her. Kagome jumped up and her classmates snickered excluding Kazuki who had just woken up himself.

"All right class, we will be doing a report and the report and it can be over about anything you want…"

Kagome smiled to herself knowing she could do it easily since she had learned a lot in the past.

"The time setting will be the Meiji Era. You may all go to the library to look up information."

Kagome's desk tipped over. She was really hoping that she could do it about Feudal Japan. They all went to the library for information. Kagome pulled out a book randomly. It was about people from the era. She lazily flipped through the pages. The pages were yellow and torn from age. She flipped to a page and gasped. It was a picture did in ink of a man with a scar across his cheek. "It can't be…" She read slowly to herself

Kenshin Himura was also known as the Battousi. He had blood colored hair and violet eyes. His main trademark was a cross shaped scar on his cheek. He was a manslayer for the revolution but mysteriously disappeared right before it ended…

Someone can't live that long, can they? He looks almost exactly like the picture except younger...of course this is only a painting. Kagome had been through so many situations she could believe that Kazuki was the Battousi. Maybe he also lived through the Feudal Era…and that's where he got the shard. Maybe with the shard you can live forever! That would explain why he looks nothing like his mother. He must have been adopted. Kagome looked through the pages trying to find out more about the Battousi after the revolution. There was nothing about him. "Fine, I'll just do a report about him! I'm bound to find something more!" Kagome was shushed by the librarian and sent out of the library.

The rest of the day was pretty tedious. She managed to get a great amount of her work done surprisingly and her friends got her ointments for her feet. Apparently Kagome had developed an unknown fungus on them recently. When school was out she saw Kazuki waiting for her. They walked home in silence for the majority of the trip.

"So…what are you doing your report on?" Kagome was startled by Kazuki's voice. He rolled his eyes and continued talking. "I'm doing mine about some sort of 'false army'. Interesting stuff. So what is yours about?"

"I'm doing mine about a Battousi, heard of him?"

"Nope, can't say I have."

Kagome was disappointed to hear this. She was hoping that she would catch him with his wording. "What kind of stuff are you into? Music? Movies? Food? History? Computers? Art? Killing people?"

"What? Uh, I guess I like soccer. It keeps me in shape. I'm in track. I also like foreign music. No idea why but I do. What are you into? Music? Sports? Art? Jewel collecting?"

"What! Did my mom open her mouth? I can't believe she did that! I swear I can explain!" Kagome was frustrated. How could her mother tell this kid, whom she barely knows, about her jewel collecting! She was trying to think of an explanation.

"What the fu…heck are you talking about? I was just wondering because of those shard thingies. My dad collected old swords. You're a paranoid schizophrenic, you know that?"

"YOU ARE SUCH A JERK!"

"BITCH!"

They continued to argue outside of the Higarashi shrine. Nether one of them was going to give in anytime soon. The two mothers came out because of the racket and began their own yelling. The two teens quickly calmed down and glowered.

"Sorry Kagome, I didn't mean to call you a…well you know. Truce?"

Kagome was shocked by his sudden mood swing. Kazuki extended his hand to shake. Kagome took it not wanting to offend her mother or anyone else. "Truce."

"Good, now that that's settled why doesn't everyone come inside for tea? You guys can stay for dinner too!"

"Thank you Ms. Higarashi. It's much appreciated." Kazuki bowed slightly. "Oh, but first I wanna go change out of my uniform. And this necklace is chaffing my neck so B-R-B!" He quickly ran out of the yard and headed towards his own house to change.

The dinner went quite well to Kagome's surprise. Kazuki wasn't as rude as he made it seem, unless he was only nice in front of his mother. Kagome could sense a weird aura around him as if there was an untapped power source in him. Sota really looked up the Kazuki and asked if he could stay. He agreed just so Sota was happy. Kagome turned red in the face at the thought of a male classmate staying in her house. Mrs. Kitakawa said she had work in the morning so she really had to get some sleep. She was also going to bring Kazuki some fresh clothes in the morning. They said their farewells and headed off to bed.

"We need to look for more jewel shards! She can't just leave like that!" Inuyasha was yelling at Miroku. Sango and Shippo stood afar not wanting to deal with the half demon's wrath. "I don't care if she was leaving for my own good! We can't have damn Naraku finding the jewel shards before we do! I'm going after her!"

"Wait! Kagome specifically asked that you get some time alone. We mustn't disobey her wishes."

Inuyasha ignored the monk's statements and jumped into the well without a second thought.

"Hey Kagome!" Kazuki was brushing his teeth in their bathroom. He spat and wiped his mouth. "Don't you need to take some medication or something?"

"What? Uh, ya, I will soon." Kagome was yelling through the door of her room. She put on her top and went to the bathroom to brush her teeth. Kazuki was using mouthwash and gargling. "Don't choke on it…" Kazuki eyes went wide and he spat up the liquid. They looked at each other and laughed. Kagome stopped abruptly and grabbed a washcloth. What am I doing, he's a jerk! She wiped up the mess he made on the mirror and put the towel in the hamper. Oh great, now he's flossing! She stared at his teeth; they were pearly white and seemed to be flawless.

"I thought we discussed the staring thing…good thing you haven't realized I don't have a shirt on…" Kazuki voice was muffled from his flossing. Kagome looked at his chest and her cheeks were tinged with red. She quickly excused herself and walked hurriedly to her room. "Oh, and when I checked your medicine cabinet for mouthwash there wasn't any medicine bottles! If you're going to fake being sick at least put up some props!" Kazuki yelled after her knowing she could still hear him. Kagome slammed her door shut furiously. The sound echoed through the house. She flopped down on her bed and put her pillow to her face. Screaming into the pillow she could still hear Kazuki outside walking to Sota's room. She stopped and sprawled on her bed. She switched off her lamp and dozed off into a deep sleep.

Next time on Inuyasha! Kagome thinks for once she can have a moment's peace but is she in for a surprise! Inuyasha climbs through the well and is attacking Kazuki. How is Kagome going to explain this one? Next time: Kagome's Secret Revealed! See you soon.


	2. Kagome's Secret Revealed!

Kagome's Secret Revealed!

The half demon sniffed the air. Something's not right here. He sniffed again. It smells human… He quietly entered the house making sure not to disturb anyone. He sniffed the air and could sense the smell coming from upstairs. Making sure not to wake anyone he tiptoed up stairs and walked down the hall. The smell was coming from Sota's room. A soft growl exited his throat. If the intruder had hurt Sota he would kill him. He turned the knob and slowly. What he saw horrified him. He saw a young man examining a sword and standing over Sota. Inuyasha let out a loud yell and jumped at him pinning the young man to the floor. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Sota slowly woke up and stared at Inuyasha. He yawned and blinked a few times while Inuyasha was struggling to keep Kazuki pinned to the ground. "What's going on?"

"Don't worry kid. I got him. He was trying to kill you." Inuyasha placed his hands on Kazuki's neck slightly digging his claws into him. Trickles of crimsons began to drip down his neck. "Now…why are you here…" Sota stood there not being able to say a word as Kazuki struggled to breath. Kagome was awoken by the racket and immediately ran into the room. She saw the small pools of blood on the floor and became wide-eyed with fear. She would have said sit boy but she was too afraid that the impact would injure Kazuki further. She did the only thing she could think of---she slapped him. Inuyasha jumped back off of him and held his cheek in disbelief. "You---You slapped me!"

"Well, if I would have said sit you would have crushed him! You're not turning full demon again are you!"

"Do I look like I'm full demon? Damn it I just saved your brother and this is the thanks I get!" Inuyasha rubbed his cheek trying to soothe it.

Kagome ran over to Kazuki and kneel over. She placed his head on her lap and studied his neck. "Good, you didn't hit anything vital. Sota, go get some bandages!" Sota ran out of the room to go retrieve the first aid kit. Meanwhile Inuyasha sat in his usual position glaring at Kagome. "What caused you to attack him?"

"Um, maybe because he was about to use this." Inuyasha held up the sword to Kagome's face. She grabbed it and studied it.

"You idiot, his father collects antique swords! He brought it to school today and showed it off for history." Sota came back and handed the first aid kit to Kagome. She opened it up and took out the rubbing alcohol. She wetted a cotton ball with some and carefully rubbed it onto Kazuki's skin. He winced at the pain but let her finish. "Are you okay Kazuki? Please be okay."

Still in slight pain he opened up his eyes and looked at Kagome. "Yay…I'll be all right. One question…" He stood up and his eyes traveled from Kagome to Inuyasha. "What the hell is going on?"

Kagome became nervous. "Well you see this is uh…uh…a person, whom I know…he uh…is our other neighbor!"

"Feh, ya right. I don't think the kid is that dumb."

"Ya, what cat boy said." Kazuki rolled his eyes and winced. Kagome remembered about his wounds and applied bandaged to his neck trying not to hurt him.

"Cat boy? Cat boy! I happen to be dog demon for your information!" Inuyasha covered his mouth and fell over. 'Great job…'

"Demons? Wait…can I touch…" He quickly jumped up and squeezed Inuyasha hears a few times. Inuyasha grabbed his wrists making him let go. Kazuki scooted towards the nightstand and leaned against it. "So Kagome, do tell all. I'm dying to hear what kind of disease you can cover this up with!"

So Kagome spilled her guts. She told him all about her adventures back to Feudal Japan and other odds and ends. When she finished Kazuki stared at her blankly. He stared at Kagome, then Inuyasha, then Kagome, then again at Inuyasha. He squeezed Inuyasha's ear. "Yes, I do say they're real."

"Knock it off! Can I please hurt him?" Inuyasha was about ready to attack him but soon stopped when Kagome started to say the S word. "Feh." He got back in his sitting position and stared out the window. "Now what?"

Kagome thought for moment. She couldn't just leave him alone. If she were to do that then her secret would be out and she'd be off in a nice little white van with bars on the windows and padding on the walls. 'Maybe he won't tell…and when that happens I might win an Oscar…"

"You know…jumping down a well and ending up in Feudal Japan has always been a dream of mine…take me with you and I'll keep my lips sealed." Kazuki smirked and stood up stretching. "Heck, let's go right now. Let me just go get my things…" Kazuki started walking out of the room when Inuyasha jumped in his way.

"No way is this kid coming with us! I already have to baby-sit as it is!"

"Inuyasha! Be quiet Sota's trying to sleep!" Kagome covered her mouth and glanced at Sota. He rolled over and began to snore softly. She brought her attention back towards the door. "I really don't think you should be going…Kazuki? Where'd he go?" Where Kazuki once stood was a vacant spot. 'Great…he must have left already.' "Inuyasha, wait outside while I get dressed and packed. Don't even think about going after him!" When Kagome finished both her and Inuyasha headed outside and saw Kazuki at the well house. He waved and slid his own red backpack over his shoulder. "You couldn't wait until morning? Oh, and I left a note for Mom explaining where we are. She'll think of something to tell your mother."

"Great! Anyways, how does this work? Do we just jump down or is there an incantation…or maybe a ritual…"

"Do you got your jewel shard?" Kagome asked.

He pulled it out from his shirt and looked at it. "Yes'm. We need these to go down?"

Inuyasha stared angrily at Kazuki. "Why does he have a piece? Feh, never mind. Let's just get going."

"All right! Me first!" Kazuki jumped into the well and a red aura could be seen coming from the well. Inuyasha took hold of Kagome and they jumped after him.

They landed softly and Inuyasha only saw Kagome. He sniffed the air. "I smell him but I don't see him."

"Ugh, if you both don't get off of me then I'll take hold of your pants and we'll be seeing plenty of you dog boy!" Kagome and Inuyasha started climbing out of the well and Kazuki climbed after them. All three of them jumped out and looked at their new surroundings. There were fewer trees then Inuyasha could remember and they could hear voices close by. Kazuki stopped and frowned. "No way is this Feudal Japan. Where the fu…heck are all the trees?"

"Inuyasha, I don't think this is Feudal Japan."

"Then where the hell are we?"

Next time on Inuyasha! The trio doesn't seem to recognize any of their new surroundings. It appears that they are in Tokyo but from a different time Era. They meet up with…well if I told you it would ruin the surprise! (Not that you haven't guessed it yet…) Next time Stuck in the Meiji Era! See you soon.


	3. Stuck in the Meiji Era

Stuck in the Meiji Era!

"Wait, you mean we're lost!" Kazuki dropped his backpack on the ground and his eye began to twitch. "How the hell can you get lost! It's a damn well!"

"Feh, no problem, I'll just jump through it again." Inuyasha jumped down into the well and they heard a loud thud. Inuyasha climbed back up and kicked the well. "Stupid well! It won't let me through!"

"Here, let me try." Kagome tried and the results were the same. She climbed out and looked at the others. "It won't work. Maybe we should go into town or something. But first we'll camp out here for the night." Inuyasha and Kazuki agreed. The next day when they set off for town it only took a mere five minutes when they ran into a dirt road leading into a vast city filled with markets. "This must be Tokyo! Except…older Tokyo…" Kazuki clapped his hands unenthusiastically and sarcastically. "Come on, let's go! No need to be waiting here!"

They walked around town receiving odd looks and glances. Kagome then remembered that they didn't exactly fit in. She was wearing her school outfit, Kazuki was wearing baggy blue jeans and a white t-shirt and Inuyasha had dog-ears. 'Maybe we should've changed…" She could hear Inuyasha's stomach growl.

"Uh…Kagome, you have any Ramen?" Inuyasha turned a little red in the face. Kagome just sighed and looked in her bag.

"Well, that explains the Ramen in your bag Kagome." Kazuki let out a slight laugh and continued to walk.

"Crud! I forgot to put the Ramen back in my bag! You got anything Kazuki?" Kagome looked at him and he shook his head. "Great, now I'm starting to feel hungry. Maybe we could sell something…" Both her and Kazuki searched through their bags but found nothing.

Kazuki looked at Inuyasha. "Maybe we could put on a 'show'. What kind of tricks can you do Inuyasha?"

"Tricks? No way!" Minutes later they had Inuyasha taking requests like back flips and cartwheels. People would also pay just to see if his ears were real. Citizens asked why he looked so weird and Kazuki said he was born that way as if it were normal. When they got what appeared to be enough for at least a few meals Kazuki apologized and said that Inuyasha was no longer taking requests. When they were alone Inuyasha jumped at Kazuki but was sat. "You exploited me like I was a freak!" He stood up and glared at Kazuki.

"You are a freak. I'm a freak. She's a freak. At least here anyways. It just so happens that you're the biggest freak. Now…I saw a restaurant nearby. We can eat there."

"Mister Himura it so good to see you again! How are you all!" The waitress smiled at them as they ate their meal.

"We're fine, thank you. It's so nice to be back." Kaoru smiled back.

"Ditto to that!" Sanosuke continued to slurp his food---if it's possible to slurp beef stew.

Yahiko's friend who worked at the restaurant came in carrying a big pail of water. She passed their booth and dropped the bucket. Her eyes became wide and she became extremely pale. She pointed at Kenshin and stuttered. "K—K—k—k—k—Kenshin! But I—I—I—I—I"

"What is it?" Kaoru asked worried. Everyone looked at her anticipating her reply.

"How can he be at this table w-w-w-when I just p-p-passed his table." The girl became light-headed and leaned on her fellow waitress for support.

"Oro?" Kenshin and the others quickly got out of the booth and look gazed at a nearby table along the same wall. There was as the girl said another Kenshin Himura. The only thing different was he was wearing strange garbs and he had two peculiar friends with him. Also he appeared a little younger then Kenshin. "What's going on?" Kenshin saw Kaoru stomp over to their table and place her hand down nearly spilling their dinner.

"All right," She pointed at the imposter with her free hand. "Who are you!"

Kazuki managed to balance the big pot in front of them and glared at the woman. "My first name is Ima. And my last name is Dickface."

"Ima Dickface?"

"Yes, you are, now leave us alone so we can finish our meal." Kazuki smiled when he heard a laugh come from Inuyasha. He scrunched back into his seat when Kagome scowled in disapproval of his rudeness.

"How rude! Now, I demand instantly to know who exactly you are!"

"Whooh, calm down little Missy." Sanosuke restrained Kaoru. "Wow, he really does look a lot like--- AH! Demon!" Sanosuke immediately dropped onto the floor releasing Kaoru. He went into a fetal position and slowly rocked back and forth.

Kenshin's group looked around noticing everyone immediately had left including the waitresses and Doctor Gensai. "Oh my…" Kenshin's looked back at Kazuki's tables and their violet eyes met. "Do I…know you?"

"Wow! He looks almost just like you!" Kagome stood out of her seat and walked around Kenshin studying him. She stopped suddenly backed away from him and towards Inuyasha. "It's—It's the Battousi!"

"Huh? The Battousi? Who the hell is he anyways?" Inuyasha looked back and forth between Kenshin and Kazuki. "They smell the same…yet different."

"I know longer go by Battousi anymore so you have no need to worry…"

"Worry? Ha! Like I need to worry when I have Inuyasha around. I just wanna ask you a few questions! This is so great! I'll have the best report in the class!"

"Oro?" Kenshin and Kazuki said this simultaneously.

"Wait a minute. Did you both just say Oro?" Yahiko stared at the two look-alikes.

Inuyasha sniffed the air again. "The smell is the same as yours and Kikyo's…you don't think…"

"That's it! Kazuki is the reincarnation of the Battousi! And here I thought he was the Battousi! Silly me! This is so cool---in a weird freaky way!" Kagome released a nervous laugh.

"Wait a minute. If it's true that this young man is Kenshin's reincarnation that would mean Kenshin would have to be dead and he obviously is not dead!" Megumi took hold of Kenshin's wrist. "See, he has a pulse."

"You had to feel for that…" Inuyasha looked at Megumi like she was stupid.

Everyone in the room continued to shout things and they were getting nowhere. Sanosuke continued to stay in his fetal position still rocking. The room came silent when a shrill whistle was heard. Kazuki stood on the table and looked down upon everyone. "All right, how about you all shut up and listen for a moment so we can go somewhere. Now, are everyone's pie holes shut? Good…now, how about we let Kagome get some things said so you morons aren't so confused. Kagome? Would you like to take the spotlight?"

Kagome fumed at Kazuki. "You are so rude! I don't care if you got everyone quiet! That doesn't give you the rights to act like we're inferior to you!" Kagome waited for Kazuki to jump off the table then she stepped onto it herself. "Now, where do I start…wait a minute! Kazuki you jerk! We're trying to keep a low profile you idiot!"

"And we're doing a fabulous job." He nodded towards Sanosuke who finally stood up during the argument because he kept getting stepped on. "If it makes you feel better, touch his ears!"

"You idiot! I don't think he's gonna…what are you doing!" Inuyasha pushed Sanosuke away from him. "What is it with you humans touching my ears?"

"Hey Kaoru can I try?" Yahiko looked at Kaoru.

"No…Hey Kenshin do you have any relatives? Maybe he's a long lost brother or something." Kaoru turned to Kenshin who was still dumbfounded.

"No, I don't think so."

Kagome smacked her forehead. "This is hopeless…he's your reincarnation. We're from the future and Inuyasha here is from the past…it's all really confusing but that's the jiff of it."

"Fine then, prove you're from the future." Sanosuke crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.

Kazuki rolled his eyes and pulled out a flashlight from his backpack. "Behold! A flashlight!" He clicked it off and on in Sanosuke's face.

"Stop it, all right all right." Sanosuke grabbed the flashlight studying it. "This thing isn't gonna steal my soul is it?" An uneasy look spread across his face.

"No it's not." Kagome snatched the flashlight from his hands.

"All right, let's say you are from the future or past or whatever, how did you get here?" Megumi glared at the trio.

"Duh, teleporting wells is all the rage in our time." Kagome smacked Kazuki on the back of the head for his smart remark. "Ow…we did come from a well though."

Kaoru went over to Megumi and whispered into her ear. "Maybe they're from our time, except they're…well… crazy."

Inuyasha's ears perked and he glared at the two women. "We're not crazy you stupid wenches. Can we go now Kagome? There's no need to explain ourselves."

"Inuyasha, stop being so rude! You're right though, we don't need to explain ourselves. Let's go before we cause more trouble." Kagome and her group left out of the door. She hurried back and placed their money on the table and left.

Everyone stood there dumbfounded. Kenshin was the first to speak up. "If they truly are from the future we should help them get back. Having them here might disrupt the timeline."

"You're not buying into it are you Kenshin? Besides, the demon was giving me the creeps…wait a minute…demons aren't real…are they?" Sanosuke became uneasy again.

"I didn't think so…" Kenshin was interrupted by some screams outside. Kenshin recognized it as the girl, Kagome. He and Sanosuke ran off to the scream. When they arrived they were horrified. A bandit had a hold of Kagome and had a knife up to her throat ready to slice it at any moment. He was not alone either. Kenshin could see the other bandits on the rooftops ready to attack if they were needed.

"Let her go…before I…" Inuyasha was about ready to withdraw Tetsuseiga but was stopped by Kazuki.

"You'll hurt someone…even Kagome." Inuyasha snarled and put his sword back in its sheath.

"That's a good boy. Now handover everything you got, including the sword!" The bandit held Kagome tighter to him and he placed the knife even closer to her neck.

"Don't do it Inuyasha or you'll…" But before Kagome could finish Inuyasha withdrew the sword and gave it to the man. Kazuki clenched his teeth and tossed his backpack at the bandit.

"All right all right, what do we got here…this sword is a piece of crap! O well, better then nothing. Now…what's in the bag?" The bandit fumbled with the zipper but finally managed to open it. He dumped everything that was in the bag. The bandit picked up a magazine and held it up. A fold out page unfolded and the bandit's eyes went wide and then he smiled. Kagome looked at the magazine and went red and Kazuki went red as well. "Never seen one of these before." The bandit continued to flip through the magazine.

"Ya, bet you've never seen a magazine either…" Inuyasha covered Kazuki's mouth.

The bandit glowered at them. "Just for that…" He put everything he could fit back into the bag. "I'm keeping all your crap and the girl."

"Kenshin, we can't just stand here!" Sanosuke was about to run to the rescue but Kenshin stopped him.

"No, we'll only worsen things. There are innocent people about and more bandits are hidden in the shadows." Kenshin nodded to the rooftops and Sanosuke could see the bandits just barely. The sun was setting and Kenshin knew it would get even worse when the sun was down. He looked at the demon, Inuyasha and gasped. The demon's eyes were going red, then white. His teeth grew even larger and sharper as did his claws…

Next time on Inuyasha(or Rurouni Kenshin)! Inuyasha transforms once again! Kagome tries to snap him out of it but her screams are futile. Will Kenshin have to go against his no killing vow? Next time: Full-Demon Inuyasha and the Man Once Known as Battousi Duke it Out! See you soon.


	4. FullDemon Inuyasha and the Man Once Know...

Full-Demon Inuyasha and the Man Once Known as Battousi Duke it Out!

"What the hell is this?" The bandit took two large steps back and stared on at the person now in front of him.

"Kagome! You never said anything about this!" Kazuki also took to large steps back. "Does he have freakin' rabies?"

"Sit boy! No!" Kagome's incantation seemed to be not working. The demon advanced forward towards her and the thief. The thief shouted and pushed Kagome to the ground. He tried to make a run for it but the demon jumped in front of him. He screamed then became silent when Inuyasha dug his claws into his throat causing instant death. "Inuyasha stop it!"

"Kenshin! Now we have to do something!" Sanosuke ran in front of Kagome so if Inuyasha were to try and attack he would go for him first. "Get out of here! All of you!" Kagome ignored Sanosuke and tears formed in her eyes. She continued to say sit boy but it was useless. Inuyasha charged at Sanosuke and got a fist in the stomach. He clutched his stomach and howled. The pain only lasted for a few seconds then he was up on his feet again. He slashed at Sanosuke's arm causing severe wounds. Sanosuke let out a devastating scream and fell to the ground. "Kagome…" He was barely able to talk. "Get out of here and take your friend…go back to the restaurant and tell our friends not to come near…" Kagome didn't want to leave but she knew she would probably only get in the way. She ran grabbing onto Kazuki and they headed back to the restaurant.

When they were away from the battle Kazuki stopped running. "You go on ahead, I'm going back!"

Kagome stopped and panted. "No way! Come on let's go!" She grabbed for his arm but he had already started running back to the fight. Kagome started running back to the restaurant. She decided she needed to tell the men's friends not to come first. Then she would come back and if she had to… "No Kagome, you are not doing that! Inuyasha will pull through, don't worry!"

Kazuki ran back to the fight. There were dead bodies everywhere, all of them bandits. "Wait, where's what's his name, Sanosuke!" He looked around and saw Sanosuke by Kenshin. "Good…Inuyasha left him alone, but why is Inuyasha doing this…" Inuyasha finished with the last bandit and brought his attention to Kenshin and Sanosuke. He let out a laugh and made his way over the dead bodies towards them. Kenshin stood up from Sanosuke's side and withdrew his sword. "A reverse blade!" Kazuki was surprised that the man once the Battousi would own a reverse blade sword. Kenshin flipped the blade of the sword. "Not anymore…wait! Kenshin! Don't kill him! Something's wrong with him!"

"I can't let you hurt anymore people. It is obvious these lives mean nothing to you and because of that I must go against my vows and stop you." Kazuki realized that Kenshin either couldn't hear him or he was deciding to ignore him. Kenshin wielded his sword at the demon and missed him. The pattern went on and on getting nowhere.

Kazuki ran over the Sanosuke to see how bad his wound was. "Crap, it's pretty bad." He saw Kagome's backpack right next to him. "Wow, that's convenient." He searched through it finding a first-aid kit. He found some bandages and a squirt bottle with rubbing alcohol. "This is gonna hurt." He squirted the alcohol on Sanosuke's arm. Sanosuke screamed at the sudden pain. "Yeesh! You get clawed by a demon and you still scream because of this?" He forced a chuckle and started cleaning the wound.

"Kenshin?" Sanosuke looked at Kazuki half conscious.

"No…Kazuki." Kazuki caught Sanosuke when he fell into his arms unconscious. Kazuki stared back at the battle. The same thing was going over and over still. "Kenshin can't win…"

Inuyasha was tired of playing defense. He grabbed Kenshin's shoulders and head butted him. Kenshin staggered back nearly falling over. When he looked up he no longer had violet eyes. They were now yellow. "Die!" Kenshin charged at Inuyasha managing to cut his side.

"Now what's going on!" Kazuki stared on and realized Kenshin was no longer Kenshin. "This is way too fudged up."

Kenshin slashed Inuyasha across the face. Inuyasha howled and clutched his face. He scowled at Kenshin and began chasing him. Kenshin ran off and they both were out of sight. Sanosuke stood up in a cold sweat. He became light-headed and fell back. Kazuki was barely quick enough and caught him. "Kenshin…where is he?" Sanosuke looked at Kazuki.

"I don't know, he ran off with Inuyasha. It was weird though. His eyes were yellow!"

Sanosuke got up and he leaned against a wall. A shocked look was on his face. "He's the Battousi again. But he said he couldn't do that anymore!"

"I'll pretend I understand that. Anyways it was right after he was badly knocked in the head."

"That must be it! Come on kid let's go! You have to help me find them." Sanosuke tried running after him however he had a deep wound on his leg that he must have received while Kazuki was absent.

"I'll go, when Kagome comes back because she's a stubborn bitch tell her not to follow!" Kazuki grabbed Kagome's bag and sprinted off at full speed before Sanosuke could protest.

The Battousi couldn't evade the demon. Whenever he thought he had lost him the demon was back on his trail. He slid to a stop then dashed back at Inuyasha. He slashed him in across his front side. Inuyasha ignored the wounds becoming less and less likely to become his old self. He grabbed Kenshin and jumped as high as he could. Next he threw Kenshin towards the ground he followed pursuit and punched him into the stomach. A huge crater formed from the impact of the two fighters. They continued to fight on…

Kazuki followed a blood trail of footprints caused by one of the warriors---or both. "They're gonna kill each other. Why?" Soon the bloody footprints became a trail. "Oh god! That can't be good!" He lifted his head and noticed that everything was passing by him faster and faster. "Holy crap, am I running that fast?" He discarded the thought and continued to run. He decreased his speed when he could hear fighting nearby. He turned the next corner and he saw big puddles of blood glistening in the moonlight. The two fighters were still battling covered in sweat and blood. They were panting and barely clinging to life but they still continued to fight. "They're gonna end up dead! You buffoons! Stop it right now!" To the Battousi and Inuyasha they were in their own little world fighting to the finish. Nothing mattered more to them then killing the other. Kazuki searched through Kagome's bag to see if there was anything in there that would help. The first thing he pulled out was the little jar of Jewel Shards. He remembered what Kagome had just told him yesterday.

The jewel shards have the ability to increase the strength of demons and humans. This is why they are so desirable and wanted by humans and demons. 

"Maybe if I…" Kazuki put the bottle back remembering his own shard. He took off his necklace, pierced his back with the piece, and slowly inserted it. He could feel a new power rage over his body. He didn't bother thinking twice before he jumped into the battle being hit by both Inuyasha's claws and Kenshin's sword. Inuyasha got him in his lower back and Kenshin cut across his chest. He was bleeding terribly but surprisingly he felt no pain. He grabbed both Inuyasha and Kenshin by the heads. He rammed their heads together making them go unconscious. He picked them up and dropped them. He clutched his back.

Sometimes the Jewels are tainted and need to be purified.

"The jewel was tainted…what's gonna happen now…" Kazuki's eyes went blank and emotionless. His eyes went back to normal and he shook his head. "Whooh, lightheaded there…better get you guys back!" He picked them up again and ran back to where Sanosuke was waiting.

When he arrived back he saw Kagome tending to the wounds Kazuki had not taken care of. She looked at him and frowned. When she saw Inuyasha she nearly screamed at him. Actually, she did. "You killed them!" She ran over to him and slapped him across the face leaving a red handprint. He set them down gently and pointed to Inuyasha chest. It was moving up and down slowly as he breathed. She turned red in the face. She grabbed the Tetsuseiga off the ground and placed it into Inuyasha's hands. She grabbed her backpack off Kazuki's shoulder and pulled out some towels. She began cleaning off Inuyasha carefully not trying to hurt him. She could sense the jewel shard in Kazuki's back but decided that it wasn't important at the moment. Kazuki grabbed a towel out of Kagome's backpack and started wiping the blood off of Kenshin and cleaning out his wounds. "Thank you Kazuki…" She didn't look at him and she smiled. Tears were still sliding down her face.

'She really cares about him…' He looked at the sword placed in Inuyasha's hand. "So, I'm guessing the sword stops him from…what exactly happened?"

Kagome looked at Kazuki. The smiled disappeared from her face and was replaced by a shocked look. "Yes but you're hurt!" Kazuki looked down at the large cut across his chest. It was still bleeding and he could still feel blood trickle down his back from Inuyasha's attack. "You used a jewel shard… here, let me take it out." She reached for him but he pulled away.

"No…I need it…if I don't have it the wounds are gonna hurt like hell."

"Fine, but once you heal take it out!"

"Okay, this makes a lot of sense, but just to be sure explain things to me." They turned to Sanosuke who was still sitting down and prompted up against a wall. Kagome frowned knowing she had to explain a whole bunch of crap again. She told him about the jewel shards and Inuyasha's transformation but that was it. "Okay…I guess that makes a little sense. How's Kenshin doing?" Sanosuke placed his arms behind his back and closed his eyes. "The sun's coming up. They must've been fighting for a long time."

Kazuki looked at Kenshin and lifted his arm. He felt his wrist for a pulse and there was one. "He's alive." He continued to clean out the wounds.

"I know that, but how is he?" Sanosuke opened one eye and looked at Kazuki.

"Do I look like a doctor? He's alive and that's good enough!"

Kagome finished up on Inuyasha. She grabbed another towel and crawled over to Kazuki. She grabbed the spray bottle and sprayed his back. For some reason he could feel that and he yelped. "Hold still!" Kagome held onto his shoulder. "Please take off what's left of your shirt. I didn't get all the wound!" She laughed nervously. Kazuki ignored her not wanting her to touch him. She seethed and took hold of his shirt starting to pull it off. "Fine then be that way!"

"Whooh! Whooh! Let go! Stop it!" Kazuki turned around and was red in the face. "God damn it I don't need your help!" She paid no attention to him and tore off his shirt. "I liked that shirt!"

"It was torn anyways!" She sprayed the bottle again. She took a towel and began wiping the blood off. He was still a little pink in the cheeks. He finished up with Kenshin. He heard snoring and looked over at a sleeping Sanosuke. He sighed and waited for the girl to finish. A few minutes passed and she still wasn't done.

"Are you done yet? I got things to do."

Kagome blushed. She had been done for at least a minute. "Um, ya, lay on your back or something so I can get your chest." He reluctantly obeyed and got on his back. She did the same thing she did to his back. When she finished she wrapped bandages around his back and chest. She stood up and brushed herself off. "I'll wake up Sanosuke. You carry our two mummified friends." She went over to Sanosuke and woke him up. "Come on, you show us where you want your friend dropped off." He nodded and Kagome let him lean on her for support. His leg was still wounded so he couldn't walk properly yet. Kazuki picked up Inuyasha and Kenshin and they headed back to the Dojo.

Next time on Inuyasha(or Rurouni Kenshin)! Everyone's happy to see Kenshin back to alive. The group decides it's best to keep their transformations a secret so know one worries. Inuyasha has to fight some personal demons of his own still though, and a few ninjas! Next time Aftermath Problems and Benefits. See you soon!


	5. Aftermath Problems and Benefits

Aftermath Problems and Benefits

"There, that's it." Sanosuke pointed to a worn down Dojo. They walked into the dojo and were great by an ecstatic Kaoru.

"You guys are all right! We were so worried! What happened exactly? Kagome came back to the restaurant and told us to go home or somewhere safe. She didn't tell us any of the details though. She just ran off again!" Kaoru helped Kazuki set down Kenshin and Inuyasha. "Are they all right?"

Sanosuke was about to open his mouth however Kagome beat him to it. "Oh, they were some pretty tough bandits. They ran off though when Kenshin, Sanosuke, and Inuyasha started whipping their butts! Though they did get injured badly." Lucky for Kagome the bandages hid how badly they were injured.

"That's Kenshin, always managing to get himself in trouble. Megumi went to work and Yahiko's training. How can I repay you guys for bringing them back safely?"

"Food and sleep…food and slee…" Kazuki collapsed and fell into a deep sleep…

The smell of food filled Kazuki's nostrils. It smelt like ramen…chicken flavored. He sat up and looked at his surroundings. He was in a different room and had a blanket over him. He stood up and walked outside where the smell was coming from. Kagome was cooking ramen noodles in Kaoru's cooking pot outside. He saw everyone at the dojo---excluding Megumi--- at the table outside. He sat down between Inuyasha and Kenshin. "So…how long was I asleep?"

"To damn long. I even woke up before you!" Inuyasha gave him a smug smile. "You humans sure do heal slowly. Kenshin woke up a little before you."

Kagome gave them each a bowl of noodles and smiled. She sat down between Inuyasha and Yahiko. "Hope everyone likes it! You should see Inuyasha eat this stuff!"

"Hey Kagome…" Kazuki gave her a suspicious look. "Where did you get the ramen…I thought you forgot the stuff…"

"About that…" She let out a nervous laugh and placed an arm behind her back. "I looked in the wrong pocket. Kazuki fell over and so did Inuyasha. "Anyways Kazuki, I told our them about my little trips to the past and our jewel collecting." Everyone talked happily during breakfast. They loved the noodles, especially Sanosuke who ate almost as bad as Inuyasha. When they finished Inuyasha excused himself. He nodded for Kagome to follow. She excused herself as well and followed him.

"Kagome, I transformed again. Didn't I?" They walked down the stream nearby the Dojo.

"Ya…"

"How many more people did I kill?"

"Quite a few bandits. You didn't kill any innocent people though!"

"I hurt Kenshin, Sanosuke, and Kazuki I bet though. I don't want to jeopardize any more lives! As soon as we figure out what's wrong with the well you're going home and Kazuki too. I won't let myself hurt you."

"No way! Besides, if it weren't for Kazuki you and Kenshin would be dead and I'm the only one who can sense the jewel shards! So you're outta luck!"

"Kagome…I…uh…Fine whatever. But if anything happens…I want you to kill me. I couldn't live with myself if I knew you were killed just because of me."

Kagome shook her head. "No way. Besides, we all owe our lives to you. Shippo, Miroku, Sango, and many other people owe you their lives! With all of us we can stop Naraku! Now come on. Let's go get Kazuki and head back to the well." Inuyasha nodded and they walked back to the dojo.

When they arrived back at the dojo Kazuki was out back straightening out his backpack. "We ready to go anytime soon?" He slung his backpack over his back when he finished. "If the freaking well works!"

"Feh, forgot about that stupid thing." Inuyasha sat down on the ground and got into a thinking position. "What could be wrong with the damn thing?"

Kagome sat down next to him and bit her lip. "What if we can't go back?" She fell back and closed her eyes absorbing the afternoon sun. "What if we can never go home?"

Everyone's train of thought was disrupted when five figures jumped over the wall and into the dojo yard. The group consisted of two females and three males. They held short swords and were glowering at Inuyasha, Kagome, and Kazuki. The group looked like well-trained ninjas and they wore the same colors: Blue and black.

"I believe these are the ones who killed our allies. Shall we kill them boss?" One of the females asked in a mocking town. She let out a sinister laugh and unsheathed her weapon 'accidentally' cutting down the tree with a clean cut. "Opps? Did I do that?"

"Yeah, we'd be doing everyone a favor getting rid of this monster. Maybe we'd get an award for his head." One of the males commented. He unsheathed his sword and settled into a fighting stance. Two of the other fighters unsheathed their sword and joined their two comrades.

The leader of the group took out his sword and glared at Inuyasha. "You're the one who killed our entire bandit squadron. Ever since the one named Kenshin left this town we've reigned over Tokyo! You'll be the first to die!" The man barked an order to one of his male comrades in some unknown lingo. The man obeyed him and charged at Inuyasha. The dog demon rolled his eyes and easily swatted him to the side with his arm. The man crashed into the walls and fell down like a pancake to the ground. Inuyasha looked at the leader and raised his eyebrow waiting for him to make his next move. The leader let out a low growl. "He's new…and a distraction."

One of the female ninja's came out of the dojo holding a squirming Yahiko by his shirt. "Who the hell is this twerp. He bit me! And called me a man!"

"Let go of me ugly!" Yahiko continued to struggle trying to free himself from her grasp.

"Ugly? Why you little…" She smacked Yahiko with the back of her hand. Yahiko yelled because of the pain and noticed the tiny needles on the back of her glove. "Now be good or I might have to hurt you!"

"Yahiko!" Kagome stood up but was stopped by Inuyasha.

"Let the kid go. It's me you want not him." Inuyasha clenched and unclenched his fist trying not to make a wrong move. Inuyasha sniffed the air and growled when he smelt the little blood droplets slowly sliding down Yahiko's cheek. "Grrr…what do you want in exchange for the boy!"

The second non-leader male grimaced, "It's your life we want, you will pay for what you have done!" He unsheathed his sword and glared at Inuyasha. His expression was cold and angry.

The leader laughed, "Calm down, with the boy in our hands we're in charge…huh? Where did she go…" He looked around and saw the ninja woman unconscious beneath a tree. "What the?"

Kenshin put Yahiko down, "I really don't like hitting women…"

Kaoru smiled and lifted up a frying pan, "That's why I did it!" She glared at the three remaining ninjas. "I suggest you three leave before we get serious."

The conscious female ninja's eyes grew worried, "What do we do now?" She steadied her sword in a fighting position.

The non-leader male shouted, "Just attack! I want the demon dead!" He got tapped on the shoulder and turned around, immediately a fist contacted his face and he was thrown into the knocked over tree.

Sanosuke cracked his knuckles and looked at the remaining two, "Any questions?" When he received no reply he decided to knock out the last male. "And then there was one!"

Feeling frustrated the female ninja charged at Kagome with her sword aiming for her heart. Kazuki jumped in the way and punched her in the face forcing her to land unconscious onto one of her fellow ninjas.

"Oh my gosh! You just hit a girl! Sit boy! Oh wait…" Kagome smacked her own forehead forgetting that she couldn't sit Kazuki like she could Inuyasha and now Inuyasha did a face plant into a steaming bowl of hot ramen…

"Ah! It burns! What the hell was that for?" He was running around the dojo trying to find water and ended up washing his face with water used to clean clothes. "Kagome…"

"Sorry! I forgot!" Kagome laughed nervously. Kazuki was laughing his rear off, as were Sanosuke and Yahiko. She looked at the ninjas scattered everywhere, "Well, what should we do with them? Oh first let me help you with your wound Yahiko!" She started searching for her supplies.

"Humph, fine." Yahiko scoffed. He sat down and watched Kagome go through her stuff. "What exactly are you getting?"

"Oh…just some future remedies…"She pulled out the squirt bottle. Sanosuke jumped at the sight of it then snickered knowing what it would do. "Hold still…" she grabbed Yahiko's head and squirted his cheek…

"Ow!" He jumped away from her. "Get away from me witch!"

Kagome stood up and yelled, "Fine! Get it infected! See if I care!" She started heading towards the well. "Come on you two! We don't have all day!"

Inuyasha and Kazuki sighed and started to follow. The other four wanted to see the well for themselves so they followed as well. They walked in silence until they reached the well. Kagome jumped down again and moments later she was back up.

"It's just no use!" She held her knees and began to sob. Kaoru patted her back in comfort and Inuyasha continued to test the well each time it was futile.

Kazuki pondered for a moment then looked at Kagome, "Maybe I have to go through first. I did go first when we got stuck here…Maybe that's just how it works?" He shrugged his shoulders.

Kenshin looked at Kagome then Kazuki and then looked at the well, "I wish to go with, I owe Kazuki my life, and I need to repay him back." He looked at Sanosuke, "What about you Sanosuke?"

"What? Hm, you do have a point…" He grabbed his chin in thought, "I am up for some more excitement…so I'm in. Besides…" He grabbed Kazuki around the neck and gave and ruffled his hair. "We can't let your little reincarnation get himself hurt." He stopped when Kazuki started breathing funny and Sanosuke noticed the bandages around his neck. "Huh? How did this happen?"

Inuyasha growled, "I did it because I thought he was attacking Kagome's little brother! Now back off! Anyways, you're not going!"

Kazuki grabbed onto Sanosuke and Kenshin then gave Inuyasha his most devious and mischievous smile, "Wanna bet?" He jumped down the well with a hold of the two scared people. A red light illuminated from the well and when Inuyasha peered down they were gone.

Inuyasha snarled, "That idiot! Sorry about this Kaoru, but I guess until Kazuki comes to his senses the two are stuck where they are. I'll bring them back, sooner or later so don't worry!" Kaoru nodded and Inuyasha grabbed Kagome around the waist and they both jumped down the well. When they landed they noticed a roof above their head now. "Feh, we're back at your house Kagome. They both climbed out and were greeted by Kazuki and his two stowaways.

"Cool! I got groupies!" He laughed and turned to Kagome, "Sorry 'bout that." He gave her a winsome smile. "Besides…" He turned serious, "I want to talk with Kenshin some more about something…" He shook the thoughts out of his head. "Well, let's get some more supplies and I'm gonna check how my mother is…"

"You better tell me what's going on young man!" A woman shrieked.

"Oh…hello Mother…"

Next time on Inuyasha (Rurouni Kenshin). Yay! Time to do a little explaining to Kazuki's mom! Fun, fun! Kagome and Inuyasha get to meet the rest of the Kitakawas. Kazuki sure has been acting strangely…but…another day…another chapter…Next time on Inuyasha, The Kitakawas. See you soon.


	6. The Kitakawas

The Kitakawas

Kazuki's mother came over and snatched the redheaded man's ear… "Explain to me where you went! I went over to the Higarashi's to pick you up and no one was home! Finally Mrs. Higarashi comes home and I hear a thud in the well house!" She continued to shake his head. It seemed as if she didn't quit she would tear the poor man's ear off…

Kazuki tapped his mother on the shoulder, "Uh Mom, could you let him go?" He nodded towards poor Kenshin who had swirls in his eyes.

"Oh my goodness!" She let him go, "Wait, who in the world is this?" She grabbed Kenshin's face and studied it. She was perplexed and dumbfounded, "Kazuki—what's going on?" She turned to face her son.

He sighed and refusing to face his mother in the eye, "Kagome, could you take this one? I don't feel so well, I think I'm gonna go take a nap…" He left the well house in silence.

As soon as he left Mrs. Higarashi entered and frowned, "Kagome! I thought maybe you and Kazuki went to one of your friend's house! You didn't take him where I think you did, did you?" Kagome nodded and Mrs. Higarashi massaged her temples frustrated, "Well, come inside Mrs. Kitakawa, this could take awhile to explain, and I'm not going to even ask about the other two!" She massaged her temples with both hands now, "Okay, Okay, everyone inside, and Kagome, please go get Kazuki."

And it did take awhile to explain…Kagome had to tell them how Inuyasha came looking for her and nearly killed Kazuki, how Kazuki wanted to see Feudal Japan…They left out how Inuyasha and Kenshin nearly killed each other but most everything they told.

Mrs. Kitakawa sat there trying to absorb the information. She looked at Kenshin and Sanosuke who were busy flipping through TV channels as if it were the most important thing in the world to them. Mrs. Kitakawa frowned, "Make sure they don't flip to the history channel please." Sanosuke then began flipping the channels more rapidly looking for the history channel. Kagome snatched it from him and turned the power off. Her expression showed she was a tad bit annoyed. Mrs. Kitakawa continued to stare at Kenshin, "So who is he? And why does he look like my Kazuki?"

"Well, believe it or not, I'm his reincarnation." Kazuki muttered. He looks at his now passed out mother and sighs. "Well, that went better then I thought. Now what?"

"You tell me!" Inuyasha growled, "I didn't want to bring them here in the first place!"

"No…I mean I was hungry again…can we get something to eat?" Kazuki looked at Mrs. Higarashi hoping she would say yes.

"Of course, maybe the smell of food will wake your mother." She forced out a laugh and walked into the kitchen to fix them some food. "How does roast beef sound? I can make carrots and potatoes too…" Her voice faded when she shut the kitchen door behind her.

Kagome followed her in and stopped her before she could get anything out of the fridge, "Actually mom, I wanted to go in the well today, I want to see if me going in first will take us back to Feudal Japan instead of the Meiji Era." She stopped a moment and smiled, "Besides, I don't really feel like explaining any more things to Kenshin and Sanosuke, a microwave might freak them out." They both laughed.

"Honey, should you take Kenshin and Sanosuke back to the Meiji Era?"

"Well, I thought maybe if I take Kazuki and them to the Feudal Era first, Kazuki would agree to send them back," She closed her eyes and let out a long sigh, "I just met Kazuki two days ago and already I feel like I've known him all my life."

Her mother giggled, "Well, good luck with that dear." They both walked back into the living room where they found Kazuki showing them a CD player.

"And you press this button and…" Kazuki pushed the play button and out blared some American Music. All five of them covered their ears and the unconscious woman sprung to life.

"Kazuki! For the last time! If I hear you blare that music again you will be grounded until your older then me!" His mother snapped. She pushed the stop button on his CD player and frowned.

"That could take awhile…" He grumbled. In response his mother hit the back of his head.

"Where am I?" She looked at all the faces in the room stopping at Kenshin's, "Oh ya…"

Kenshin smiled, "Are you feeling any better Mrs. Kitakawa?" She nodded then sat upright holding her head.

"I have a bad headache though…So you're my son's incarnate?" Kenshin nodded, she brought her attention to Sanosuke, "Who in the world are you then?"

"I'm Kenshin's friend, Sanosuke. Hey kid, are we going to kick demon butt anytime soon? I need some exercise." He punched the air a few times.

"Kazuki…" Mrs. Kitakawa's eye twitched slightly, "What does he mean fight demon?"

"Well…ya see Mom…I kinda wanted to go with Kagome for awhile…and I really wanted to bring them with. Come on Mom! I'll be careful! Besides! I want Kenshin to teach me how to sword fight! You know I've been looking for someone to teach me how to sword fight, someone who met my standards…" He trailed off and looked at Kagome. "So, he can come back to the Feudal Era with us right?" His violet eyes were sincere and sad at the same time. Why did it mean so much for him to learn how to sword fight Kagome wondered.

"Well, I guess it's more your mother's choice then mine." Kagome said.

"He may do as he pleased…I don't want to stand in his way. But please take care of him okay?" She walked over to his son and hugged him, "Be careful okay? I don't know what I'd do without you…" She stroked his long red head and laughed, "Besides, you're the only one who knows how to talk to your older brother."

Kazuki laughed, "Ya, well, I'm gonna restock my backpack with stuff." He kissed his mother on the cheek and left the house to go to his own.

"You didn't say you had other children." Mrs. Higarashi looked at Mrs. Kitakawa, "I just assumed Kazuki was your only son."

"We have another son, he's 19 and his name is Kisho." As she said this they could hear a motorcycle start and a loud yelp. She shook her head and laughed. "Speaking of which that would be him, he must've 'accidentally' almost hit Kazuki. Before you all leave, why don't you have supper at my house?"

Sanosuke's stomach growled loudly, "Sounds good to me, wouldn't want to go demon hunting on an empty stomach."

Kenshin smiled, "Thank you for your hospitality Mrs. Kitakawa." They all decided they might as well go over now and make sure Kazuki didn't get hurt. When they approached the Kitakawa house they could see Kazuki was in a headlock. The person giving the headlock had medium, black, messy hair and brown eyes; he was wearing a leather jacket, black jeans, boots, and a black T-shirt.

"Hey dare you kick my bike you punk!" He tightened his grip on Kazuki's neck, which was still injured for previous reasons. He didn't realize that he was hurting Kazuki and apparently thought Kazuki was joking.

Sanosuke walked over to the guy and picked him up by his shirt forcing him to let go of Kazuki. Kazuki fell to the ground and begin breathing harshly while rubbing his neck. "Who are you…?"

"Wait Sanosuke! That's Kisho! He was just rough housing," Mrs. Kitakawa went over to her son, "Are you okay Kazuki?" He nodded and sat there his breath becoming normal again. "Kisho! Couldn't you see that your brother got injured?"

Sanosuke dropped Kisho like he was a sack of potatoes and Kisho ran over to his motorcycle, "Well, tell him not to kick my bike anymore! Dammit! I'm gonna have to buff this out…and who the hell are the funky dressed people? And you make it sound like Kazuki was attacked, who the hell would be stupid enough to attack Kazuki?" Kisho punched his hand into the other. "Especially when they'd have to mess with me. Wait? Does that guy have cat ears?"

"They're dog ears! Why can't you people get that through your head! And I attacked Kazuki! Now, if anyone has anymore questions they can talk to my fists!" Inuyasha screamed.

Silence…

"Sit boy!"

Slam…

Silence…

"Mom…I swear I haven't been drinking…but you do see what I see right?" Kisho's eye twitched rapidly.

Kagome growled under her breath, "Okay, everyone inside! I am going to explain this one more time!" She started trudging inside but ran into a man with black hair and brown eyes. "Oh sorry!"

"It's okay Miss, um dear? Who are our guests? And explain what…wait…does that guy have cat ears?" the Man asked looking dumbfounded.

"They're dog ears!" Inuyasha held his head and screamed towards the sky.

He stared confused, "What?"

"Everyone inside…Now…" Kagome held her head in frustration, "Unless another Kitakawa wants to appear out of nowhere!" She was tackled by a large dog who had come from inside. She fell down and the oversized pooch was licking her face.

Kazuki whistled and the dog went over to him. It was an overweight husky. He petted the dog and laughed at Kagome, "This is Temis…" He ruffled the dog's long soft fur, "Good girl, now if you just wouldn't lick the intruders you'd be a topnotch guard dog!"

"Kazuki you jerk!" She yelled, "Now can we go inside now so I can explain things?" They all entered inside and Kagome explained once again, hopefully for the last time, about almost everything.

"Now…" She sat there looking at the group of people, "Any questions?"

"Ya, can we eat now?" Sanosuke's stomach made a really loud growl. "I've had to hear that same story at least three times now."

"I'll go make supper now." Mrs. Kitakawa left the living room and entered the kitchen.

Mr. Kitakawa turned to his son, "You sure you want to do this?"

"Course, Pops," He said still petting Temis. "I want to learn to sword fight, and that way, me and Kagome can help each other with homework. We do share most of the same classes."

"Wait Kazuki!" Kagome stood up suddenly, "What are you going to say when people ask you where you have been!"

"I'll just tell them I was taking care of you," He rolled his eyes, "We will be gone the same days after all." He stood up and stretched, "I don't feel to well, I'm gonna take a nap for awhile…get me when Mom's done, okay Pops?" He walked down a hall and disappeared with Temis close behind.

It was awkwardly silent so Kagome out of nowhere blurted out, "Can I see your sword collection Mr. Kitakawa?" Kisho gave her a look like poison that almost stung, and Mr. Kitakawa just looked even more dumbfounded.

"What makes you think I have swords?" He smiled sheepishly and laughed, "I'm way to clumsy to own swords!" He put his arm behind his back and knocked over a lamp. He sighed and looked at Kenshin and Sanosuke who were flipping through channels. "But Kazuki has some swords in his room, Kisho, go take her please…wait! Don't change it to the next channel!" He reached for the remote but it was to late and quite an interesting scene came upon the TV. Sanosuke's and Kenshin's faces went crimson red and Kisho just laughed. "Kisho! I thought I had a block on these channels!" He turned off the TV. "Now go show Kagome Kazuki's room."

He started walking down the hall and Kagome followed him until they were in a room filled with swords and they saw Kazuki sprawled on his bed looking at one of them. Temis growled lightly at Kisho and Kagome but soon ignored them. "Hey Kazuki, wench wants to see you…"

"You're even worse then Kazuki!" She snapped, "What was that for?"

His eyes grew cold and he put his face level to hers, "Because little girls should keep their mouths shut." He left the room bumping into her as he exited.

Kagome sat next to Kazuki's body on his bed, "So these swords are yours?"

Kazuki ignored her and cleaned it off not bothering to get up.

"Kazuki are you okay?" She felt his forehead and she brushed her hand off.

"Nothing, I was just thinking," He muttered. Temis lifted her head slightly to growl then went back to sleep. She continued to sit there staring at him trying to figure out what was wrong. "Kagome…you're really pissing me off…"

She jumped a little, "What did I do?"

He sat up angrily and nearly pushed her onto the floor, "I don't want to talk right now!" He yelled. "I was trying to think! Now leave me alone!"

Kagome stood up and glared at him, "I just wanted to see what was wrong! There's no need to be so rude! I just was trying to be polite! You are so stubborn!"

He sighed and rolled over putting his sword on its rightful place on the wall, "Sorry Kagome…it's just…"

"Dinners ready!" Mrs. Kitakawa yelled.

Kazuki left the sentence at that and went to the kitchen. Kagome followed and so did Temis.

When they got in there Mrs. Kitakawa smiled, "Inuyasha helped me cook, isn't that sweet?"

Kazuki burst out laughing and pointed to the dog demon. "He helped you?" Kagome started to giggle as well trying to imagine Inuyasha in an apron.

"I just wanted to see how you cook! That's all!" He sat down grumbling. "Can we eat now?"

"Of course, hope everyone enjoys it!"

They were having chicken, rice, and some fruit stuff. The adults talked, including Kenshin, while the people under 20 sat there in awkward silence. Kagome tried enjoying the peacefulness while it lasted, had a feeling that tomorrow would be much more interesting…and she was wondering what was bothering Kazuki…wait! Didn't he still have the Jewel shard in him!

Next Time on Inuyasha: Kagome is worried about Kazuki, and now they're in Feudal Japan. They get to meet the jewel hunting gang and fight some demons! Next time on Inuyasha, Back to Feudal Japan.


	7. Back to Feudal Japan

Back to Feudal Japan

Kazuki rolled in his bed; sweat was dripping down his forehead. He lurched forward and panted. Kazuki felt his forehead, it was slightly warm, but that was probably just from rolling around so much. "Man…I haven't had that bad of nightmares in over a year." He looked onto the floor where he could see Kenshin and Sanosuke sleeping in weird positions. Their blankets weren't even covering them anymore. "They seem comfortable…" Temis whimpered softly at him and licked his face. "What's wrong with me girl…I haven't felt so terrible in years…" His tone softened, "But it's weird…I haven't felt so alive…" A smiled tugged at his mouth and he chuckled softly, "I sound like a loon don't I?" Temis crawled onto him and whimpered still. "Guess you don't think it's funny…"

"Are you talking to yourself?"

Kazuki looked at Kenshin who was wide-awake. "How much did you hear of my conversation…with…the dog…" He smiled.

"I woke up about at, 'What's wrong with me girl'." He frowned, "Kazuki, may I ask what's wrong?"

"Hm?" Kazuki wasn't listening completely; his mind was elsewhere. "Oh…I dunno, guess I'm just nervous."

"I see…Kazuki, tell me again why you want me to go with you."

"Because, out of all the people in the world, you scare me the most." He didn't look at Kenshin and just petted Temis.

"I'm confused that I am…."

Kazuki shook his head, "Another day, another time. I need sleep…" "Good night Kenshin…"

"Good night Kazuki." Both drifted off to sleep.

Kagome was trying to get to sleep in her bed. Inuyasha had left earlier to inform the rest of the group that they were getting three more members. Kagome turned over and began petting Buyo. "Hey Buyo…Guess what! You're not the fattest pet within a mile radius!" She laughed and continued to pet the cat and the cat ignored her. "I don't think Kazuki has taken out the jewel shard yet, why hasn't he? It's going to hurt like hell now taking it out. Maybe he did take it out and it's around his neck or something. Not that I'm worried…I mean, Kouga has his in all the time." Kagome looked at her clock, "It's almost midnight…I wonder if Kazuki talks to his dog…" She laughed again, "Probably not, who am I kidding."

Kagome and the other three members met at the well house. Unfortunately, the chubby pooch followed.

"Go home Temis, I'll be back in a few days." Kazuki lowered down to the dog's level and was licked on the nose. "I'll miss you too girl, now go home!" He pointed towards his house and the dog did as ordered.

'Maybe he does talk to his pets in the middle of the night…' Kagome thought.

"So how does this well thing going to work?" Sanosuke looked down into it.

"Kazuki, I'll go down first, then you bring the other two and yourself." Kagome jumped down the well. Sanosuke ran over and looked down again.

His eyes became wide, "It isn't going to steal my soul…is it?"

Kazuki laughed and grabbed both of their arms, "Now, if it was going to do that, it would have already. Hell, maybe it did!" They jumped down the well. They landed and the three climbed out.

Kenshin looked around in awe, "There's so much more wilderness."

"Kagome, so these are our guests?" Miroku stated, he looked amongst the group, "Next time some women would be nice…"

"Why, so you can ask them to bear your children? You're such a pervert Miroku." Sango scoffed.

Kagome smiled, "Okay, everyone, this is Kazuki, Kenshin, and Sanosuke." She pointed to each as she pronounced each name. "And this is Miroku, Sango, Shippo, and Kirara." She pointed to them as well. Kagome hopped onto her bike, "Now, let's start looking for those shards!"

The three newsiest members were in awe as they walked in the forest. Everything was much more fresh. Even for Kenshin and Sanosuke it was cleaner.

"So Kazuki, why have you decided and the others decided to join us?" Miroku asked as they walked.

"I get bored easily I guess…" He smiled, "And I guess you could say I kidnapped the other two."

"You did not kidnap us!" Sanosuke put Kazuki in a headlock. He quickly let him go remembering his wounds. "Whooh, sorry kid."

Kazuki panted, "It's okay, only hurts when you touch it." He felt a set of eyes staring at him; he looked down and was being stared at curiously by the young fox demon. "So…is he a squirrel or what?"

"What! I am a fox! Why can't anyone get that?" He looked at Inuyasha, "He is as dumb as you said Inuyasha…"

Kagome glared at Inuyasha, "Inuyasha! Don't make me sit you!"

During the walk everyone seemed to open up a bit. Sanosuke and Miroku got along pretty well, and Shippo took a liking to Kenshin. Kazuki was the only one who remained quiet. Kagome would ask him about it later if she remembered.

"Hey guys! I sense a jewel shard!" Kagome yelled. A large bird demon swooped from the sky and snatched Shippo up by the tail. "Shippo!"

"Help! Get me down!" Shippo screamed. He transformed into a giant pink ball and the bird released him. He also freaked out Sanosuke.

The bird screeched and swooped down to trying to get some more prey. They all managed to jump out of the way…except for Sanosuke who was still in shock.

He snapped out of it and looked below. "Holy crap! Let me down you stupid bird!" He punched the bird and he was dropped. He screamed and waited to hit the ground. Instead he landed on something soft and furry. He sat upright and noticed he was on a giant version of Kirara. He was about to scream but stopped, "Ya know what, never mind."

"All right bird brain…Windscar!" Inuyasha sliced the bird in two when it came down for more prey. He landed gracefully on the ground and smirked. Then he stopped and looked around, "Hey…Kagome…where's the jewel shard?" Just then a mouse ran out of the clearing and bit his foot. "OW!" He jumped up and down in pain and swung his foot randomly trying to fling the horrid creature elsewhere.

"Hey! It has a jewel shard!" Kagome stuttered. She then smacked her forehead, "I bet the mouse was on that bird…"

While Kagome rambled on about her theories the group watched in amusement as Inuyasha cussed out the vile thing…hit his foot a few times against a tree…He then withdrew his Tetsuseiga. Everyone jumped in horror.

"Whooh! Are you trying to cut off your foot?" Sanosuke yelled trying to talk to the furious demon

Inuyasha's eyes were wide but his pupils were small. His thoughts were no longer coherent and all he could think about was killing the mouse. As Inuyasha swung his Tetsuseiga he could see a flash of reddish pink and all of a sudden there was no more pain in his foot.

Kenshin pulled out the halfway inserted jewel shard out of the mouse and sighed. He looked at Inuyasha and shook his head, "Are you alright?" His only response was a feh and some grumbling. "I bet you this mouse just went temporarily insane because of the pain, that I do. If I put it down it'll probably just…" He lowered the mouse to the ground and let it go.

Chomp

Inuyasha screamed in sheer pain as the mouse clamped onto his numb toe. Kagome finally snapped out of her own trance and stared at Inuyasha.

"Sit boy!"

Slam

The mouse scurried out of the crater and hurried into the forest hopefully never to be heard of again.

"Well, that was amusing for the first five minutes." Kazuki said dully. "Now what? I'm hungry…" He kicked some dirt and held his arms behind his head.

"I think we've had enough excitement for the evening, perhaps we should set up a fire." Miroku stared at the now setting sun in the distance. "Unless you'd like to find that mouse Inuyasha."

"Shut up monk!" Inuyasha shouted. Everyone seemed to be picking on him today. "How long were we fighting that stupid thing?"

"Actually I think it was the mouse that took so long…" Sanosuke began but Inuyasha shot him a death glare. "Uh…I think I'm going to get some wood…" He started to walk off.

"Come on Kirara…we really shouldn't let him go alone." Sango stated. She and the cat demon followed Sanosuke making sure he didn't get lost or hurt.

The sun had completely set and they were all sitting around the fire. Out of nowhere they heard a low growl and immediately Kenshin and Inuyasha took fighting stances. Kazuki looked at them like they were the stupid and he shook his head.

He then let out a very sheepish laugh, "I told you I was hungry!"

Anime Fall

Kagome let out a sigh, "Is that all you think about…"

"Hm…" Kazuki put his hands in front of him and began counting on his fingers, "Let's see…food…music…annoying people with my quirky charm…" He made a winsome smile then continued, "exercising…okay…maybe not so much that…but it helps me think…" He stopped and blinked a few times. "Hey, aren't you going to make something to eat?"

"What makes you think I'm making it!"

"Because you're the girl…"

"SIT BOY!"

Slam

"Oh no! Wrong person again!" She yelped.

Inuyasha got out of his new crater and glowered at Kagome. He growled and then hopped into a tree to avoid a fight. Kazuki was in a fit of giggles and rolling on the ground. Sanosuke kicked him and he sat upright. Kazuki winced in pain.

"Crap, haven't those wounds healed yet?" Sanosuke complained.

"Ya…but this way I get sympathy…" He let out an obnoxious laugh and started rolling on the ground again.

"Um…Kazuki? You okay?" Sango asked worriedly. "You sure are acting weird…" Kazuki could no longer hear anyone over his own laughter. He was holding his sides and almost crying. "It wasn't that funny…"

Kazuki sat upright immediately and sighed, "You're right…I'm good…and I'm hungry…if someone doesn't make something I'm going to eat my damn shoe!"

"Fine!" Kagome yelled and started searching through her bag. She found some ramen and started getting ready to cook.

"Wait, I can cook Kagome that I can." Kenshin offered. He grabbed the supplies out of her hands and started cooking.

"Sure…"

When Kenshin finished Inuyasha began sniffing the food. He frowned and looked at the group.

"It's no good…we must dispose of it…" He eyed the food suspiciously.

Miroku studied the food and sniffed it. "It smells fine to me…"

"Ah ha! To the untrained nose…" Inuyasha pointed to his nose proudly. "I can pick up things that you humans can't!"

Shippo stuck his face nearly in the big pot and sniffed. "It smells fine to me!" he pouted.

"Shippo, Shippo, Shippo…" He patted the foxes back. "We all know I have a better nose." He picked up the large pot and headed away from the group. "I better go dump this in the river…be back in awhile…" Inuyasha then left the group. Moments later a happy Inuyasha came back to the group.

Kazuki scowled, "You have some noodle in your teeth!" He tackled the dog demon.

"Why the punk!" Sanosuke shouted.

"Agh! I'm sorry! It just smelt good!" Inuyasha screamed as Kazuki chased him around with a stick. "Get away from me!"

"Here kitty kitty kitty!" Kazuki taunted.

Inuyasha stopped and glared back. Then the tables were turned and he tackled Kazuki. "For the last time I am not a cat!" He shook Kazuki.

"Sit boy!"

Slam

"Ow…" Kazuki groaned. He and Inuyasha came out of the crater. Inuyasha wasn't that badly hurt since Kazuki had broken his fall. "Why…" He stopped for a moment to think then he snapped his fingers, "Let's roast hotdogs!"

"I don't carry hotdogs around…" She said annoyed.

"That's why I brought them!" He pulled out some hot dog packages. He let out a hearty laugh.

Sango looked at the packages confused, "Um…Kagome? Can I ask you what those are?"

"Something tells me I don't want to know what they are…" Sanosuke narrowed his eyes at the package.

"We're eating dog?" Kenshin yelped.

Everyone looked at the bag disgusted. Inuyasha was just horrified.

"You sicko!" He shrieked. The thought of eating dog made him nearly puke. Of course Kazuki was in another fit of giggles. Boy he was giddy today…

"They're…not…actually…dogs!" He said between breaths and laughs. "Trust me, it's an edible animal that won't disturb you!" He found a stick and starting cooking one. "Man I love it back in the old days…"

'That's what I was afraid of…' Kagome thought.

Sanosuke grabbed one of the hot dogs and started cooking it like Kazuki. He finished and looked at it. "Now what?" Kazuki grabbed the hot dog and put in on a bun. He grabbed some ketchup out of his bag and put it on it. "Here!"

He took a small bite then looked at it. Smiling he took another bite and another. "This is good!" Everyone else tried it and were also happy. Well, Inuyasha didn't try it, but that's to be expected from the DOG demon.

After everyone finished they all decided it was best to get some sleep. Before Kazuki could doze off Kagome stopped him. "Can we go for a walk?" She asked. He nodded and they decided to walk by the river.

They walked for a long time without talking. Kazuki looked at his feet and Kagome looked at Kazuki. He looked at her and grinned.

"I thought we discussed this…it doesn't work…'member?" He said.

"What?" She asked confused. His voice startled her and she jumped slightly.

"Staring, it doesn't blow people up." He smiled softly and looked at his feet.

She smiled then frowned, "I've been wanting to ask you something…um, have you taken out the shard yet?"

He stopped and sighed, "No…I tried…I can't get it out without a knife…and that's not going to happen. Besides, why do you want it out so badly?" He scowled sending chills down her spine.

"Well…you've been acting kind of different…"

"Kagome…" His face was stern and somewhat angry, "How well do you know me? I had only known you for a day before I put the jewel shard in…besides…how have I been acting funny?" His voice was somewhat calm put the vein on his forehead said otherwise.

"When we first met you seemed nicer…"

"Kagome, when we first met I accused you of eating road kill, now I'm heading back." He hissed. He headed back towards camp and left Kagome standing by herself. She stood there thinking when all of a sudden she heard Inuyasha scream and then the group laughing.

"GET OFF MY FOOT YOU DAMN MOUSE!"

A female figure stood in a tree watching the stupidity of the scene. She frowned then let out a small laugh. "Fools…" She stroked a white rat she held in her arms. "But it's okay…soon he will be under my control…I was hoping for someone a bit more powerful…but I suppose power is not necessary, as long as if he can get the job done." The small mouse from before climbed the tree and sat on her shoulder. "So it's the boy with the shard you say?" She cooed at the mouse. "Squirrel's life was worth the sacrifice I suppose…" She jumped out of the tree and started heading farther away from the site. "Perhaps Master will be pleased…you did poison the dog correct?" The mouse squeaked and she cackled. "Good, good…but your breath stinks…I'll go get that antidote for you…"

Next time on Inuyasha, Inuyasha gets the chapter ALL to himself. But it's not that great…Why does Miroku have 3 arms? Sango…why are you dressed like Kikyou. Shippo looks like he's 17! What the hell…Kazuki don't you dare touch Kagome! Next time on Inuyasha, Dream a Little Dream. See you soon!


	8. Dream a Little Dream

Dream a Little Dream

"_Is he okay?"_

"_He's drooling…"_

"_He looks almost…dead…"_

"_Inuyasha…"_

"_Kitty?"_

"_Not now!"_

"_Maybe some catnip…"_

"_Mrow!"_

"_I wasn't talking to you!"_

"_Inuyasha! Please wakeup!"_

"_INUYASHA!"_

Inuyasha opened his eyes and the sun glowed brightly into his eyes. He looked around him and the group was playing tag? He stood up confused and looked at everyone.

"Tag! You're it!" Miroku squealed with delight as he tagged Kagome in the butt with his extra arm.

Kagome laughed then started running after Kikyou? "Come back here Sango!"

"No way!" She laughed. She jumped on Kirara who somehow or another turned pink and she flew away…

"Uh…did I miss something?" Inuyasha said. He was wide-eyed and a sweat drop slid down the side of his face.

"Hahaha! That's funny!" He got a hard pat on the back that sent him flying into a hotdog tree. He turned around and started shaking. "What's wrong Inuyasha?"

"SHIPPO!"

"Shippo? My name is Hippo!" The kitsune laughed. Inuyasha stood there very confused. It was Shippo in his same clothes… that didn't quite fit anymore so his midriff was showing and his pants went up to his knees while his shirt went to his elbows.

"I must be sleeping…" He groaned. He slapped his cheeks hard and he could feel the pain.

"_Did he just slap himself?"_

"_HAHAHA!"_

"_Kazuki you dope!"_

"Huh?" Inuyasha yelped as he looked around vigorously. "Guys? Did you hear that?" He shook his head and panted. "What's going on?"

"What's wrong with him?" Kazuki asked. Inuyasha looked at him and fell down. Kazuki frowned and growled, "Why does he always act this way?" Inuyasha stared at Kazuki; He had black wavy hair and purple eyes, almost like Naraku's. "Idiot…"

"Be nice Kazuki!" Kagome snapped. She smiled at Inuyasha and he fell backwards again. She was Kikyou, only with Kagome's clothes! "We better get going! Has anyone seen Kanosuke or Senshin?"

"Here I am that I am!" A man who looked like Kenshin said. He had brown spiky hair and Sanosuke clothes.

"Where did Sango go?" Another man said. This one looked like Sanosuke except he had long red hair and Kenshin's clothes on.

Miroku walked up and sighed, "She went for a ride with Kirara. Perhaps we should go on ahead…" Inuyasha now saw he had more than three arms. He stared at the six arms in sheer horror. "Are you feeling okay Inuyasha? You're sweating."

"_Inuyasha!"_

"_Get him some water!"_

"_Where's that stupid first aid kit!"_

"_Why is his foot so swelled up…"_

"_Would you help Kazuki!"_

"_Sorry! Yeesh…I just didn't know purple was in this season…"_

"_Huh?"_

The group stared at him then they all sighed loudly. Sango and Kirara came back and now Kirara was reddish orange. They all started walking towards a castle and Inuyasha followed. Inuyasha wasn't quite sure what was going on. What was real and what wasn't? Reality is such a fickle thing. They came along a large clearing in the forest in front of the clearing there stood a chibi Sesshomaru, an over-sized Jaken, and a…poodle?

"Brother, it is time to fight!" Chibi Sesshomaru declared. The poodle yelped and Inuyasha just stood there staring dumbfounded. Sesshomaru unsheathed a huge sword about ten times its normal size.

"Let me fight him si…sire…" Jaken hissed. Inuyasha couldn't help but notice a slight lisp. Jaken got into a fighting position and charged. Inuyasha screamed as he realized that Jaken was growing bigger, and not just from getting closer. He was now about the size of a small castle. Inuyasha ran and ran. He kept passing the group over and over. Jaken was now catching up; he had no choice but to use the Tetsuseiga.

He withdrew the sword and…

"Hey! Not so hard!" It whined.

He dropped the sword and stared at it. "What…the…hell…"

"Hey! Dumb ass! You have some fat toad chasing you! Don't you think it's time to use me? Just not so hard damn it!"

He reached for the sword and swung it as hard as he could at the toad. Jaken screamed and was no more. He had literally vanished. Out of nowhere a sexy elven woman appeared in front of him. "Who the hell are you?"

"My name is Jaken…thank you for breaking the curse…" She said seductively then kissed him on the nose and flew off.

He wiped his nose frantically trying to get the image of Jaken kissing him out of his head. His thoughts were disrupted when a sword came two inches to his face. He looked in front of him and could see chibi Sesshomaru 50 feet away.

"Damn! Not quite long enough!" He shouted. He took two inches forward and pricked Inuyasha in the nose.

"_His nose is bleeding!"_

"_How did that happen?"_

"_Just keep moving!"_

"_Who's Kaede?"_

"_A friend, she'll know what to do!"_

"_Dude! He's got puke and blood coming from the mouth…"_

"_Hurry!"_

Inuyasha growled and grabbed the sword and started swinging it like a propeller. Sesshomaru let out a shrill scream as he was launched into the sun. The sword disappeared from Inuyasha's hands and he now held the Tetsuseiga again. He looked at his group and growled, "Why didn't any of you help me!" He screamed.

"We were to busy watching Kagura make a giant tornado…" Miroku pointed to a swirling tornado of color.

"Kirara! Get me closer!" He ordered the cat demon, which was now a green color. The cat demon jumped to his side and he jumped on.

"_He's pale and shaking!"_

'_Why is he so cold?"_

"_Inuyasha! Please be okay!"_

"_Lay him down child."_

"_Please…don't leave me…"_

The tornado flung him and the cat demon back at the group sending them all flying into another hotdog tree. Miroku stood up and looked at the group.

"I have to stop it myself…Please, stay away…"

"No Miroku!" Sango jumped up and hugged him. He hugged her back then pushed her aside.

"Farewell…" He charged at the tornado at lightening speed and held out his arms, all six of them. "Wind Portal!" A giant tunnel appeared and then there was nothing.

"No…" Sango cried. "MIROKU!" She screamed.

There was a silver flash then Kanosuke and Senshin lay on the ground in piles of green blood…

"_His has green in it…?"_

"_He has been poisoned!"_

"_Nice job Kenshin!"_

"_Oro?"_

"_Well, he said he smelt something in YOUR food!"_

"_Knock it off Kazuki!"_

"_Whatever…"_

"_His pupils are dilating and contracting."_

"_Wake up! Please!"_

"Kohaku!" Sango shouted. Her brother stood before them. He looked normal except he had demonic features like fangs and red eyes. Kirara who had turned blue attacked Kohaku chucking him into a rock. He struck Kirara and she lay there bleeding. "Kohaku! I cannot allow you to kill anymore!" She charged and there was nothing.

"Sango! No!" Kagome screamed. She dropped to her knees and began crying. The mysteriously well cat demon walked up to her and licked her face. "Let's go guys…" She sounded angry and determined. Kazuki nodded his head and followed. The castle was drawing closer and closer.

Koga jumped in front of the group and growled. He transformed into a wolf and charge at Hippo. "You will die fox!"

Hippo transformed into a fox and charged the wolf. They clashed heads and fell back. "Guys! Go on ahead!" Hippo ordered. They did as he said and they headed towards the castle. Inuyasha looked behind him and could see the fox now in back to his adult form lying in a pool of blood and beside him lay Koga.

"Inuyasha! Don't slow down! We must move forward!" Kazuki growled.

"But…"

"Quiet!"

He snapped his mouth shut and the group moved forward. He stared at Kirara who had turned a dark blue. They stopped when they came upon a large room. It looked almost like a wedding ceremony He looked at his comrades and saw that Kagome and Kazuki were wearing wedding clothes. Then it happened, they kissed. He stood there in shock as their lips met and they embraced each other. All of a sudden they were on the floor in bloody corpses, or at least Kagome was. Kazuki laughed mockingly and glared at Inuyasha.

"_He's crying?"_

"_It's blood and poison, not tears."_

"_Make it dumb ass!"_

"_What's wrong with him…"_

"_Inuyasha…"_

Inuyasha growled and stared at Kazuki. Kazuki continued to laugh. "What's the matter Inuyasha? Didn't you trust me?"

"I never trusted you!"

"You let me near Kagome didn't you?"

"Shut up!" He charged at Kazuki and slashed him with the Tetsuseiga. It didn't even faze him though he did start to bleed a purple color. Inuyasha jumped on Kirara who also turned Purple. "How dare you! You traitor!"

"Me? The traitor? Please, don't make me laugh…" He did laugh and smiled slyly. "You're the one who let me live, you should have killed me the first time we laid eyes on each other. Hell, I almost killed Sota…"

"YOU BASTARD!" He charged again and more blood spurt from him and streams of dark purple.

He laughed some more then grinned, "You let me come close Inuyasha. It's all your fault! They're all dead! All of them! Even Kagome! Even Kirara…" Kazuki extended his arm and sliced Kirara through the chest. She started slowly turning black.

"If only you would have stayed pinned to that tree…Kagome would be safe…she would be alive…"

"I'm tired of listening to you!" Inuyasha made continuous blows at Kazuki but it he only bled, his blood getting darker and darker by the second.

"Inuyasha…die…" Then he saw nothing but darkness.

"_Inuyasha!"_

"_Please! Inuyasha!"_

"_Don't leave us!"_

"_Come on! You can make it!"_

"_Don't give up!"_

"_Inuyasha…I…I…please…I need you…"_

"_Do something ye old bag!"_

"_Silence! He's been poisoned and cursed, there's nothing we can do…"_

"Salali, come here…" Naraku sat in his castle watching the window. A woman with light brown hair and yellow eyes came into the room. She wore a red short dress with armor made of leather on it. She held her pet rat and stroked its soft white fur.

"Yes Master?"

"What was the cure for that curse again?" He asked in a bored tone.

"Well, the only cure is made from my blood of course. Or he could simply kill the creature that gave him the curse. Why?"

"Can I see this 'creature'?" He looked at her uninterestingly.

"Of course…" She whistled and in came in the mouse. She ordered the mouse to go to Naraku and it went over to him sniffing him.

"Thank you…but no thanks…" In one swipe the mouse was decapitated. Salali eyes were wide and her mouth hung open, she was shaking lightly. "I don't want him to die by poison. I want him to die by…never mind, just keep an eye on them."

"Y…yes sir." She left the room disturbed.

"Is he dead…He's not moving anymore…" "He's starting to look normal!" 

"_Inuyasha!"_

An overexcited Kagome hugged him. He softly hugged back dumbfounded still. He looked from face to face until he met Kazuki's.

"What happened…I thought I was dead."

"Well, my well groomed friend." Kazuki said nodding at his bloody attire. "Somehow or another you were poisoned."

Inuyasha growled softly and looked at Kagome. "Did Kazuki touch the food at all that Kenshin made?"

"What?"

"Answer me damn it!"

She winced at his sudden change in tone. "Well, I don't think so, the only ones who came near the food were me, Kenshin, Miroku, Shippo, and of course you."

Kazuki stopped and then started grinning and chuckling. "Isn't this great? He's blaming me for his little episode." He shook his head still smiling. "Really now, why me?" Kazuki eyes became cold suddenly and he punched a wall making a small crack in it. "If you don't trust me then fine, I don't really care." He stormed out of the hut shouting back, "I'm going for a walk!"

When Inuyasha left Kenshin looked at Inuyasha suspiciously. "Why did you think it was him? Maybe it was just my cooking that got to you."

"I doubt it was even that, it was probably just bad to begin with." Sango stated. Miroku nodded in agreement.

"Besides Inuyasha, while you were out Kazuki even tried to suck out the poison!" Shippo said as he jumped on the demon's stomach.

"He what?" He asked confused.

"He said he saw it from a….mo…vie?" Shippo looked at Kagome for clarification and she nodded.

"Wait? Where'd he try to suck it from?" He yelped.

"You're toe…" Miroku said scratching his head.

"Wait? My toe…my toe! That damn mouse! It must've been sick!" Inuyasha declared.

"Come on, we better go find Kazuki…" Kagome said worriedly.

Next Time on Inuyasha. Kazuki seems to be having a wonderful time in Feudal Japan. And it just keeps getting better. The guys get the spotlight in this episode! Careful what you wish for Sango! Next time on Inuyasha, The Engagement Part I, See you soon!


	9. The Engagement Part I

The Engagement Part I

"Nobody likes me…everybody hates me guess I'll go eat worms…big one's little ones, ushy gushy, gushy ones…worms that squirm and squirm. The first one's easy goes down easy. Second one sticks to my tongue. Third ones rusted…forth ones BUSTED! Fifth one tries to run…SoOoOoooo…BITE OFF THEIR HEADS and…SUCK OUT THEIR GUTS…then throw the skins away---You'll be surprised how many itty bitty worms you can eat five times a day---HEY!" Kazuki sung to himself. He was walking along the creek trying to blow off some heat. So far all he got was a sore throat and a song stuck in his head. Some rustling in the bushes startled him and he jumped. He turned to see the whole group staring at him in awe. He turned brick red and faced away from them, "Um…yes? Don't you guys have a least a few more minutes talking shi…crap about me before you come looking for me BEGGING for forgiveness?"

"Kazuki…go to hell…" Inuyasha muttered.

"Only if you move out…" He grumbled and quickly turned sickeningly fake happy, "So, what do you guys want?"

Inuyasha went to go strangle him but Miroku grabbed him by the collar of his clothing. He cleared his throat and let go of him. "Inuyasha came to apologize…" He looked at the demon but didn't get a response so he continued, "Please take his grumbling as an apology." He looked at Inuyasha again but still nothing. "Ignoring him for now…I think we should all rest up for tomorrow."

Sanosuke chewed on a small twig in his mouth staring down at Kazuki. "Come on kid, stop moping around and get some rest…never know when we'll run into some killer mice…"

"I WAS FIGHTING FOR MY LIFE AND YOU'RE MAKING FUN OF ME!" Inuyasha shouted. He jumped at Sanosuke and seconds later Inuyasha was lying face first into the ground with a giant bump on his head.

"Hey Kagome, shouldn't we be working on those reports?" Kazuki asked her seeming not to really care.

"Oh my gosh I almost forgot!" She screamed. She grabbed Kenshin and started running back towards the village. "I need you for about half an hour!"

"Oro?" He shouted as he and Kagome slowly became out of sight.

"Hey Sanosuke, any chance you know anything about a false army?" Kazuki said boringly looking around swearing he could hear the chitter chatter of small woodland creatures.

Sanosuke thought for a moment then took a large step forward lifting his fist into the air. "You've come to the right person! Now I can set it straight!"

"Actually I think my spine may be crooked now…" Inuyasha groaned. Sanosuke stepped off of him and chuckled embarrassingly. "Can we go now?"

"We're already leaving!" They heard Sango shout from a distance. They could see her, Miroku, Shippo, and Kirara already far ahead of them walking back to the village.

Pretty boring after that…Kagome interrogated Kenshin for half an hour, and he told her all he was willing. Eventually she gave up. Kazuki was rather fascinated with Sanosuke's version. He thought it had more zest. He ended up writing much more then he needed. Kaede tended to Inuyasha's recent wounds thanks to Sanosuke. Sango yelled at Miroku for reasons I'm sure you all know…Shippo and Kirara just watched in amusement. Afterwards they all played cards, Kazuki winning, then Kazuki got the crap beat out of him from Inuyasha because Kazuki was cheating the whole time. Exhausted they all went to bed.

Salali stared down at the group from a nearby tree once again. As soon as she was sure they were asleep she walked over to Kazuki's body. She stroked the fine red strands and chuckled. "Poor, poor, Kazuki…soon you will be mine…" She kissed him lightly on the forehead and walked around the group. She stared at Kenshin for a moment and studied him. "Perhaps they're brothers…?" She poked him in the forehead curiously. He mumbled something and rolled over. She stiffened but soon relaxed as he continued to lightly snore. She shook her head in disgust. "Redheads…shouldn't wear pink…" She left the group in silence.

"Wake up…" Inuyasha growled.

"No…" Kazuki groaned.

"Now…" He jabbed him in the side with his foot.

"No…" He groaned rolling over. The sun was up but it was still to early for Kazuki to get up. He never did like getting up early.

Sanosuke sighed and grabbed a bucket. He headed down the stream to get some fresh cold water. He came back and stared down at Kazuki. "Kid…get up…"

"No…" He groaned yet again.

Sanosuke snatched his blanket. "Last chance…" He said.

"No…" He groaned shifting in his 'sleep'. He slowly opened one eye and screamed as ice cold water came rushing down on him. He sat up drenched and hacking up water. "You, you asshole!"

"Serves you right, we've been waiting for at least a hour!" He dropped the bucket next to him and walked over to Miroku who was in hysterics, as was the rest of the group. "It's not THAT funny." He laughed, "Okay, maybe it WAS." They all were laughing still and Kazuki was fuming.

He stood up and grabbed his backpack. He had forgotten it was open and some stuff fell out. Sango began to help him pick up and as she lifted up a magazine he screamed, "DON'T!"

A fold out came out.

Her face turned a deep read and she glared at him. She whacked him upside the head with the magazine and she stormed off. "LET'S GO! That's includes the two perverts!"

Miroku looked at her confused, "Two?" He walked over to Kazuki who sat there with a large lump on his head. Miroku ignored him and picked up the Magazine. His mouth dropped as he flipped through the pages. He shook his head and patted Kazuki on the head. "It's okay, we all get curious." Miroku helped him put the stuff in his bag and went to go find Sango.

Kagome screamed, "Don't tell me you brought that thing here too!" Kazuki slung his backpack over his shoulder and turned his head to the side and slightly upward. "Fine, be that way, let's go…"

Sango was leading the group. The thought of people looking at those kinds of magazines made her furious. "Hmph, men, maybe if I'm lucky someone will take them away from me…" She mumbled.

"Wait! Stop!" A young woman shouted.

"Hm?" Everyone said in unison as they turned around to see a carriage being pulled by some horses.

A young woman with reddish black hair came out of the carriage. "These four men will do." She said as she pointed at the group.

"Oro?" Kazuki and Kenshin said in unison.

A man came out of the carriage and slapped chains on Kazuki, Kenshin, Sanosuke, and Miroku. He dragged them to the back of the carriage and set them in a large wagon with bars it had dragging behind them. The woman and man went back into the carriage and they started heading back to wherever they came.

Silence…

"Oh…" Kagome began.

"My…" Sango continued.

"WHAT ABOUT ME!" Inuyasha and Shippo screamed at the carriage. They looked at each other. "What do you mean what about you?"

"Never mind about that! We can't just let them take the guys!" Kagome shouted as she got on her bicycle and pedaled after them.

"Feh…" He reluctantly followed after carrying Shippo.

"Did…I do that?" Sango wondered aloud as she jumped onto Kirara and followed after Inuyasha.

"I DEMAND TO HEAR MY RIGHTS!" Kazuki shouted as he was slammed into something similar to a prison cell.

From a separate cell Kenshin grabbed onto the bars, "They didn't even bother to take our weapons?" He questioned.

"At least they took the chains off…" Miroku said as he rubbed his sore wrists.

Sanosuke sat in the corner of his cell and crossed his arm, "Let's just wait and see what they want. We could all probably get out of here easily, well, except for Kazuki."

"SHUT UP! I COULD EASILY GET OUT OF HERE!" He screamed.

"Why are you always yelling?" Miroku winced and covered his ears.

"It's teenage hormones…too much testosterone to the brain I guess." Sanosuke shrugged and leaned back against the wall.

"AGH!" He screamed and fell back onto the ground. "I hate you all…One day I will become supreme ruler of the world and will use you all to pick the fungus from my fat because all supreme rulers are overweight people who eat loads of chocolate…" He rambled.

"Wait Sano, aren't you a teenager as well? You're only 19 I believe." Kenshin asked as he looked at Sanosuke.

He stiffened and turned to him. "I suppose you're right." He laughed nervously. "Kazuki, you're scaring me."

"…and I will marry 50 women and they will all help me bathe, but I will have to bathe in a lake for I cannot fit in a pond…"

"Okay…" Sanosuke muttered. "Maybe we should have fed him…"

Miroku put a finger to the side of his mouth and held his chin. "Anyone else think that woman was quite beautiful?" He announced.

"Wait, what?" Sanosuke shouted. He stopped and went into the same pondering position, "Now that you mention it…"

"…after I cure stupidity I shall win a noble prize and people shall give me gifts of the sort…I then shall make it so no one can say…ahem, w-i-l-l, they may only say shall…and people shall have to listen for if they don't I shall use my humongous ass to crush them into itty bitty pieces…"

"KAZUKI!" Sanosuke snapped.

"What…" He whined.

"So these are the four you found, sister?" A woman with bluish black hair said as she entered. "They're quite cute!"

"ORO?" The two redheads shouted.

"How cute!" She said as she pinched Kenshin's cheek through the bars. He pulled back and held it. "Who gets him?" She asked her older sister.

"I will of course." The one with blackish red hair stated. She walked up to each cell and studied each man inside. She returned back to Sanosuke. "You can have him!"

"Excuse me!" Sanosuke shrieked. He sat there dumbfounded. They stared back at him for a while, but soon ignored him once again to study the rest.

"Let's see…" The redhead continued. She looked at Miroku and gasped. "A monk! Oh my goodness! Chika's always wanted to marry a monk!"

"…What?" Miroku asked as he stared at them. This was getting confusing.

"What about Meia? Since she's only 16 she definitely should have this one." The blue-headed one said. "Oh my, he looks a lot like yours!"

A girl with greenish black hair entered and looked at the other two women boringly. She moved some strands of her hair behind her ear. "Have you even bothered to ask their names?"

"Hmph, I was just about to do that!" The redheaded shrieked. "But can you go get Meia first?"

"I'm right here…"

Everyone jumped at the girl's sudden presence, including the caged men. She had purplish black hair. All of the girls had eyes matching their hair color. They wore rich clothing with beautiful designs.

"Meia you little brat!" The redhead scolded. "What have we told you about sneaking around like that!"

"I'm…sorry…" She whispered.

"Akako dear! Where are your manners! Let's introduce ourselves!" The blue-headed one said excitedly. She smiled at them, "I am Toyo." She bowed.

"Chika…" The green-haired one bowed.

"My name is Meia." The purple-haired one said so softly they could barely hear her.

"Hmph, talk louder would you? I'm Akako, and we're the Zenkami sisters." She smiled vigorously. She did not bow, meaning she felt she was above them, but she did open up their cages with a key.

"Why do you now open the cages?" Kenshin asked curiously. He stepped out and stared at Akako trying to figure out what she was thinking.

She laughed, "Where do you plan on leaving? You're in our village, and our father is lord of this village. So if you try leaving." She made a cutting noise and slid her finger against her throat.

"How…lady-like…" Kazuki stated.

"What are your names?" Toyo asked kindly. She smiled sincerely and giggled.

"Um, my name is Kenshin." He said and he blinked a few times. Everyone else seemed to be dumbfounded so Kenshin continued. "This is Sanosuke, Miroku, and…"

"Ima!" He interrupted. Kenshin and Sanosuke winced.

"Ima?" The girls said in unison.

"Dickface."

"Ima Dickface?" They said in unison again.

"Yes, you all are. Now let us go!"

"I'm going to kill him!" Akako shrieked as she pounced and pinned him to the wooden floor. She began strangling him and Kenshin had to pry her off. The others were too engrossed in the fight. She adjusted her kimono and scoffed, "How dare he!" She embraced Kenshin in a hug. "Thank you for stopping me from killing him!" She nuzzled into his kimono. Kenshin stood there wide-eyed.

"Wait, I can't get married! I'm only 15!" Kazuki shouted. "I haven't even had a girlfriend! I got things to do! I don't have a license…I haven't smoked a cigarette…I haven't gotten drunk…dammit I wanna see…" Miroku clamped his mouth shut.

"Let's keep our mouth's shut before we blurt something out that could be held against ourselves shall we?" Miroku said calmly. Kazuki nodded and he released his mouth. "Ladies, I'm sure you're all wonderful…gorgeous...ahem, nice women. But we can't settle down right at the moment."

Toyo smiled, "You don't have a choice, we've picked you as our grooms, and we ALWAYS get what we want." She said in a singsong tone.

Next time on Inuyasha: Great, what the hell have they gotten themselves into now? What exactly is going through the sisters' heads? And why is Kazuki running around a hot spring naked…Next time on Inuyasha, The Engagement Part II, See you soon!


	10. The Engagement Part II

**Water-Rose: This chapter is dedicated to evil-gnome-empress for being such a great friend...and because she asked me to.**

The Engagement Part II

The men were lead to a large bedroom. They had been shown the entire castle. It was very large and richly decorated. There seemed to be a room for everything. There were rooms for rooms…okay, not that big but still. They were impressed. The room had four individual rooms inside of it. Okay, so the place did have rooms inside of rooms…Anyways, it was big. Everything in the room and was made of silk fabrics, there were rugs, dressers, and kimonos…

"Um, is this supposed to be our room?" Kenshin asked as he stared at the kimonos.

"Why of course!" Akako exclaimed. She clung onto his arm affectionately.

"But, why are there women's clothes in here…?" Sanosuke gulped.

"Oh!" Toyo shouted. "Well, you'll be sharing rooms with us silly!" She latched herself onto Sanosuke's arm.

"So, you four share two rooms and we get two rooms?" Sanosuke questioned.

"No…"

"You get the four and we get this big room?"

"No…"

"You get three and we get one?"

"No…"

"We get three and you get one?"

"No…"

"We get all four?" Kazuki asked.

"No silly! We get to share! I can share with…" She hugged onto Sanosuke tighter. "My Sano, Akako with her Kenny, Chika with her Miroku… and Meia with her Kazuki!" She laughed nervously, "I can't think of pet names for them."

"That's not really your job…now is it?" Chika said monotonously. She fiddled with a pendant around her neck. "Why don't we have the cooks make something? It's rude to have hungry guests." She kept her same tone.

"That's a good idea sister!" Toyo exclaimed. Boy she was of the enthusiastic sort…

The meal was humongous; they didn't even eat half of it. It only had the finest foods and there were servants to meet your every demand. The guys didn't want to be rude so they ate. They decided to be EXTRA polite and make sure to eat a lot…and like pigs…

"May I ask why you want to get married so soon?" Kenshin said out of nowhere. The girls looked at him shocked then lowered their heads.

"Well you see, our father is very sick and he will die soon. Our mother died some time ago, and these lands belonged to her father. Of course her father didn't like ours. So he said that his land and fortunes would become ours when we married…" She paused and sighed. "Our grandfather died but the villagers make sure that father doesn't take complete control. But recently father has become terribly sick…and…if we don't get married, ALL of us, thanks to our grandfathers particular choice in words, if we don't get married we will lose our land…and the villagers promised they would leave and join another village."

"Shit happens…" Kazuki mumbled through a mouthful of food. He stabbed his chopstick into a roll and munched on it while he still had food in his mouth. He swallowed and looked at them. "So why do WE have to marry you?"

"Because you dimwit, once again our grandfathers choice in words comes to mind. It has to be someone outside of the village, and it has to be soon thanks to father's illness." Akako explained angrily. She bit into a roll and glared at him.

"In other words the villagers don't trust women to run the place…" Chika added before taking a sip of tea. "Not that I blame them…" Her sharp eyes looked at each of her sisters before she took another sip.

"You guys must be tired and you all look like you could use a hot bath! Why don't we all go to the hot springs?" Toyo chirped. She smiled her caring smile and grabbed Sanosuke by the arm. "Let's go everyone!"

The servants lead the men to another room that was built over a small hot spring. Kazuki looked at the group nervously. "Guys, um, when were swimsuits invented?"

"When were what invented?" Sanosuke asked staring at him like he was the stupidest person on earth.

Kazuki's face turned hot red as he saw Toyo start to undress. "No! Wait!" He shielded his eyes. "Um, wait, isn't there separate rooms?" He peeked at the other guys who looked nervous as well but certainly they were more comfortable then him. Everyone was in the water except for Kazuki.

Miroku looked at him dully. "They don't bite, would you get in, for someone who looks at…"

"Stop right there!" Kazuki screamed. He could hear the girls only giggle. "Why are you all so comfortable dammit?" There only response was a shrug, which Kazuki couldn't see.

"I just realized what weird clothes he has…" Toyo said as she stood up to study his pants. The men turned away…well, they peeked a little but still… "What is the metal for? She reached for his zipper.

"AH!" He screamed. He immediately lowered his hands to cover his zipper. His eyes went wide and he nearly passed out. "What the hell! Ah! Don't touch my pants!" His face was redder then red; it was the definition of red. "Do you guys normally do this way back when?"

Sanosuke looked at him dully, "No…but hey, if they're comfortable, I guess I am to." Sanosuke relaxed himself. "Besides, what are you doing letting my woman fondle you?" He joked. She giggled and sat back down in the water.

"Grr, get in here now and talk to Meia dammit!" Akako screeched. She stood up and got out of the water. Now the men had a little bit more of a view then her boobs… "Come here!"

"NO!" He tried running to the door but guards were there. "Holy crap! This is sick and wrong!" He turned around and screamed again. "Gah! Don't chase me! You're fricken naked!" Then the worst thing, well, in most cases it would be a good thing, she pinned him to the ground. "AH!"

Seconds later he was in the springs with his eyes just skimming over the water. Maybe he could drown himself…maybe he could just stop breathing and he would pass out…all this would be over…but no, with his luck one of the women would try CPR and he'd be back to screeching like a little girl. He didn't know what was more embarrassing, the fact he was in a tub with naked women, or the fact he didn't want to be in the tub with naked women…and the fact he made a big scene about it and he ended getting stripped…He just felt…dirty…and the water wasn't washing off the dirt. Why didn't anyone else care…maybe it was because they accepted the fact that they weren't getting out of here any time soon. Maybe they had already thought up of a master escape plan and were playing along. Perhaps they WANTED to get married.

"Are…you okay?" Meia asked as she tapped him on the shoulder.

"AH!" He screamed startled once again. He nearly jumped 3 feet, but quickly lowered himself into the water. "I'm fine…"

"Okay…" She leaned back into her spot and looked down. She was just as flushed as she was. Maybe they were forcing her into this as well…she didn't exactly come off as the most open person in the world.

After a fascinating session of let's sneak peeks at the naked women and pretend we're not, they all got dressed in sleeping attire and were escorted to their rooms and there Kazuki was left alone with Meia…fun…now they would have to share a bed…they would probably have sex because of her grandfathers wishes and in nine months he would be a 15-year-old dad.

"I…can sleep on the…floor…if you like?" Meia whispered staring at her feet.

His jaw dropped, "You don't want to sleep with me?" Wrong way to word it…both of their faces turned red. He decided to chuckle it off, "Ahem, that's not what I meant, you mean you don't want to, er, sleep in the same bed."

"Not…really…" She mumbled. Her voiced was really soft, but clear.

He sighed and smiled, "You sleep on the bed, and I'll sleep on the floor."

She didn't move. She stood there and shifted her feet. "I…I don't want to get married…" She looked at him and her voice got louder, "It's not fair! I don't care what everyone else wants! I don't want to get naked in front of total strangers, and having sex with them is not one of my top priorities!"

Kazuki fell backwards and onto his rear. She blushed and turned Kazuki couldn't help but laugh. It was like a sheep roaring to him. "You're a surprising one that you are…" He smacked himself in the forehead. "I will not do Kenshin talk…" She giggled and he laughed at himself. He stood up and walked over to her placing his hand lightly on her shoulder. "I tell you what, the bed is big enough for two, it'll be like having to share a bed with my brother temporarily again. You won't rape me and I won't rape you, deal?"

She giggled and nodded. He stuck out his hand and they shook. Which was odd for her but she went along with it. They both slid in beneath the covers trying to adjust themselves. "This…is still…quite odd, yes?"

"What the hell…" They both slid to the middle both hitting each other. "The bed…won't stay?" She blushed again and turned the other way. He smiled and turned the other way as well. "G'night Meia."

"Good night Kazuki…"

Miroku patted the bed, "Perhaps we shall get more comfortable?" He could swear she was stabbing him with every gaze.

"Some monk…" Chika grumbled. "Aren't monks supposed to be romantic, not perverted, and lastly, aren't you supposed to be a virgin or something? I don't know much about monks but something long those lines comes to mind…"

He laughed nervously. "How about we just get some sleep…" They both got into bed and fortunately for the monk the bed didn't have the same problem, for he knew if he touched her she would scratch his eyes out with HIS hands.

Akako embraced Kenshin nuzzling into his chest once again. "Oh Kenshin, You have no idea how happy I am…"

"Um, that I don't…" He dropped to the floor. "Oh look! A comfy floor to sleep on! Good night Miss Akako!"

"Miss? Wait! Kenshin!" She kneeled over and tugged on his arms. "Kenshin wake up!" He remained still and softly fake snored.

"I'm asleep…"

"You are not!" She snapped. She jabbed him in the sides with her foot. He yelped in pain and jumped up. "Kenshin!" She embraced him once again. Her embrace turned into a lock hold. "Don't ever do that again! Let's be a happy couple or I'll make you miserable!"

He looked at her in horror and gulped. "Yes Mi…Miss Akako!" He reluctantly climbed into bed and she soon followed nearly strangling him with her death grip, or, as what some people would call it, 'hug'.

Sanosuke and Toyo entered the room. Sanosuke looked at the room nodding when all of a sudden he was tackled from behind and flipped onto the bed. His 'attacker' was Toyo. He tried to say something but his words were muffled out with her mouth. He stopped the kiss and looked at her confused. "What are you doing?"

She gave him a sly grin and started reaching for the belt of his robe. He protectively grabbed it and scooted further on the bed. She giggled and started slowly crawling towards him. "Oh Sano, I have a present for you…" Her tone was much more different. It wasn't as, well, dumb sounding.

"Wait, I didn't know you were this kind of a girl." He managed to state right before he slid out of her grasp.

She giggled again. "I only put on that act so my sisters don't think I know any better…" She slid off the bed after him cornering him placing her hands on each wall. "I'm really quite smart…ask any of them, I've changed since daddy got sick…" She played with his robes.

He grabbed her hands and looked at her confused. "What do you mean changed?"

She giggled again and went in for a kiss, He dodged by ducking under her arms and he jumped over the bed. She started walking to the other side. "Sano…Sano…sweet…sexy Sano…I've changed so the other girls don't see me as a challenge." She pounced and pinned him to the floor. She started kissing him but he carefully flipped her over and he now had her pinned.

"Why?"

She giggled again, "Is this how we play?" She reached for his lips but he lifted his head. She frowned and sighed, "You know, we're not real sisters, each one of us adopted…Mother couldn't produce children…and she wouldn't dare think of her husband sleeping with another woman…so…" She laughed again and looked at him seductively. "She had four different families killed…not one of our villagers of course. Another village…Akako was four…and Meia just a newborn. Why did they do it like this? Who knows…Mother always was a weird one…"

"You're not answering me." He sat up and stared down at her. "You're completely avoiding the subject."

'Let me finish…" She sat up and snuck another kiss but again he stopped her. "Anyways…She decided to have four children, she named each one of us after her deceased sisters…who had been killed years earlier. Daddy of course never lied to us…he told us the story years ago…" She smiled a wicked smile. "Mother got sick…for some…unknown reason…" She giggled. "Grandfather found out and thought Daddy might have killed her so he could take control, well, grandfather wasn't going to have that, and he really didn't want us to have control, so he made those silly little rules. Villagers already didn't like us…and neither did other villages…" She sat on the bed and ushered for him to sit.

"Continue…" He leaned against a wall annoyed.

"So, before he could make any more rules…he also accidentally got sick." She smiled and shook her head. "There was only one more obstacle in our way…and that was daddy…but it was hard to get to him…daddy was always a cautious man and only trusted so many people with his drinks. I had to act dumb, so he would trust me of course…He enjoyed his tea very much…but then we had to find husbands…of course if we found suitable husbands we would have gained the villagers trust again…and then you all came along. Almost like a fairy tale." She sighed dreamily. "The first one to have a child…gets to be the ruler…" She walked over to Sanosuke again swaying her hips back and forth. She wrapped her arms around his neck. "How would you like to rule Sanosuke?" She kissed his neck. "You'd make an honorable…tall…handsome…ruler…" He grabbed her wrists.

"So you did this?" He growled.

She smiled playfully. "Of course not Sanosuke, I'm dumb and innocent…"

"We're the others in on it?"

"Well…Akako was for it…Chika almost killed herself for doing it…but Meia…she didn't do a thing, but she didn't stop it either. She knew every little detail…but most of it was my doing I suppose…"

"We're leaving…" He began but he heard a large crash outside the door. He exited the small room into the larger room. There was the rest of the jewel hunting gang looking like they were ready to attack anything else that moved. The rest of the men part of the women's ordeal exited their rooms with their assigned woman.

Sango froze when she saw Miroku come out with Chika. She turned red, but not from embarrassment, anger would be a more correct term. "You! You pervert! Lecherous monk!"

Meia hid behind Kazuki. "Demons…" She whispered into his back.

He nodded and glared at the group. "As much as we appreciate your heroic rescue…you're scaring Meia dammit!"

Miroku grabbed onto Sango's hands. "Thank you…Thank you…Thank you…" She was startled by this weird gesture but she ignored it and glared at Akako, who was practically attached to Kenshin.

"What's going on?" Sango hissed, "When did it become alright for people to kidnap innocent bystanders off the road?"

Kenshin writhed his way out of the women's grasp and he stood next to Kagome. "I have nothing to say…but to give you my thanks Miss Kagome, Miss Sango…"

"We get the point, now what's going on?" Inuyasha growled. This was getting irritating.

Sanosuke managed to pry himself from Toyo's grasp and he joined the gang on their side of the room. "Well, we all almost got married thanks to the sisters' plot." He thought for a moment and added. "Meia had nothing to do with it really and Chika seems to have more of a conscious. Oh ya! I almost got raped!"

"You traitorous witch! You agreed that I would be the one to bear the first child!" Akako hissed. "How dare you!" She seethed through clenched teeth.

Sanosuke explained the plot to all of them. Tears rolled down Chika's cheeks and Meia started crying into the back of Kazuki's robes. Akako crossed her arms sticking her nose up grumbling. Toyo stood there, with a smile on her face. There were some servants in the room who were shocked to hear such an atrocity. They cursed under their breath how they would make sure that the girls would never be allowed to come back to the village. Just as Sanosuke finished a servant came running in.

He gasped for breath then managed to sputter out, "Our master is dead…" He gulped and looked at the group, "Sorry, but none of you will become the new master. We shall have no master from now on. I'm terribly sorry, but I am only following orders."

Toyo clenched her fists and bit her lip. "But it's not fair! We went through all this trouble!" She held her head up and looked at the ceiling, "I wanted this place to fall…all of it to burn…who cares if we killed them. They killed our families first." She laughed. "They had it coming!" She continued to laugh.

Kazuki ran over to her and smacked her in the side of the face. Everyone stood in horror. He was panting heavily and he looked more than angry. She fell to the ground and grabbed the side of her face. He glowered at her and spat at the ground. "I hate people like you…" He murmured. He looked down at her and she whimpered while holding her cheek. "I…I'm sorry…" He reached down to help her up but she smacked him.

"DON'T TOUCH ME MONSTER!"

Next time on Inuyasha: Now that the guys have had their little adventure, time to give Kenshin some spotlight time! But first they need to do something with the girls. Since I doubt the village is letting them stay, unless they plan on staying in graves! Kenshin and Kazuki go out to train and guess whom Kenshin gets to fight! Next time on Inuyasha, Sword Fighting 101, have you guessed who it is yet? See you soon!


	11. Sword Fighting 101

**Water-Rose: This chapter is dedicated to WolfGemini for being a great friend, for being my twin sis, for being my proof reader, and because I dedicated a chapter to evil-gnome-empress...**

Sword Fighting 101

The group walked in silence. It was a cloudy day, matching the mood of the group. The four sisters were banished from the village. The villagers did want to burn them, but Kagome even from what she had heard wouldn't allow it. So now the four girls were temporarily traveling with them, at least until they could find a more suitable village. Inuyasha had brought up Kaede's village as a solution, but the girls wanted to be much farther away from their own village. Which Inuyasha thought was just a hassle and pointless but he wasn't going to argue with anyone. The men agreed to keep some of the happenings a secret, mainly for Kazuki's sake. Shippo had somehow taking a liking to Meia who was stroking his head as she carried him. Kazuki hadn't said much since he slapped Toyo, he had tried apologizing for it once but all she did was defensively touch the fist-sized bruise on her cheek. They traveled for about an hour when Kenshin finally broke the silence.

"Kazuki, perhaps tonight we can start your training." He said as they continued to walk. "You said you wanted to learn to sword fight that you did."

Kazuki looked at him dully, "Fine with me…anyone else tired…" He droned. He let out a yawn stretching his arms into the air. "Can we take a break…?" His eyelids were slowly closing but he quickly snapped them open.

Miroku looked at him funny. "We just started walking an hour ago, didn't you sleep well?""

He let out a large yawn again and drooped his head. "No…I woke up really early and couldn't get…" He yawned again and stopped to stretch. He jogged to catch up with the group. "I guess I'm just not used to sleeping on the ground…" He started to walk with his eyes closed. "Make sure I don't walk into anything…"

"Tree." Sango said.

Slam

"I said tree…" She reminded.

"Ow…thanks…I guess" He brushed himself off and jogged again to catch up. "Are we almost there?"

Chika looked at the surroundings and then nodded. "There should be a village somewhere around here."

Akako stuck her nose up and closed her eyes. "Hmph, how would you know?"

"Tree…" Kazuki stated.

She jumped and looked around. She noticed there was no tree and started getting red. "YOU JERK!" He snickered but soon it grew quiet again.

After several long minutes of silence they found themselves at a very small village. The villagers were kind and more then willing to take in the girls. Some even claimed to remember them. Of course they didn't know their new names. It was true what Toyo said; all of their families had been killed so no one would insist on finding them. An old man recalled one of the attackers saying something about the a stupid wench wanting four girls, so she could have her pick of the litter…What a disturbing concept. Akako agreed she would behave and make sure to keep an eye on Toyo. Toyo had agreed to behave, but they didn't quite trust her. They did, however, trust Chika and Meia a little more. The villagers were overjoyed to have the daughters returned so were more then willing to allow the group stay.

While the group took a break; Shippo played with the children, Kirara slept, Kagome and Sango helped the sisters adjust, Miroku asked random women to bare his children, and Sanosuke laughed every time he was turned down; Kazuki and Kenshin decided they would train. They found a field some ways off from the village. Kazuki had borrowed a sword from a warrior, who was busy talking to Chika…Anyways, Kenshin was showing him all the stances when all of a sudden Kenshin stopped what he was doing and looked towards the forest area they had come from.

"What…is it?" Kazuki asked trying to see whatever Kenshin was seeing. He put his hand above his eyes and noticed a white figure heading towards them. "Inuyasha?"

Kenshin looked at Kazuki then back at the figure. "He's is back at the village…but I sense he is a demon that I do."

Kenshin was right; the white figure was a demon. The demon had long silvery hair, bright yellow eyes, and markings on his face. He wore clothes of a lord and had only one arm, which wasn't obvious at first since his sleeves were so damn big. The demon of course, was Lord Sesshomaru.

"Wait for me Lord Sesshomaru!" Jaken yelled as he scampered across the field to catch up with his master, tripping on every rock and pebble as he went. He kneeled at Sesshomaru's feet. "Please forgive me Lord Sesshomaru! The girl was most difficult when you left, but I managed to catch up!"

The dog demon ignored the toad and brought his attention to the two redheads. He cocked his head to the side and glared at them, "Do you by any chance know where Inuyasha is. I can smell him on your clothes."

Kazuki sniffed himself not knowing that people actually had distinct scents. He looked up at the demon and groaned, "I don't smell that bad do I?" Kenshin narrowed his eyes at Kazuki for the rude statement.

"Just answer the question." Sesshomaru said dryly. "Tell me where the half-breed is."

"What are your intentions with Inuyasha?" Kenshin questioned. He kept eye contact and narrowed his eyes. "You sound as if you mean harm to him."

"How dare you question Lord Sesshomaru!" Jaken shouted. "It is not of your concern that he plans on taking the Tetsuseiga!" He slapped his mouth shut. Sesshomaru looked at him and just so happened to kick him a good few yards.

Kenshin closed his eyes and took hold of his sword. "I'm sorry, that I am, but if you plan on harming him or any of his followers you must go through me. He looked at Kazuki then smiled his cheerful smile, "Wish me luck and takes notes won't you? Let's call this a visual lesson?" He nodded and plopped himself on a nearby rock. There was no doubt in Kazuki's mind that the man would be a threat to the great swordsman.

He whistled and hooted. "Come on Kenshin! Show him whose boss!" He sat there with his arms in the air and narrowed his eyes at Jaken who was jumping up and down cheering. He turned his head, arms still in the air, and glared. "What…are you?" Jaken ignored the statement and Kazuki brought his attention to the two men.

Sesshomaru took hold of his sword and glared down at Kenshin. Both stood there waiting for the other to move. A breeze went by blowing the tall grass and their hair. As soon as the breeze was gone Kenshin withdrew his sword and charged. He tried to hit Sesshomaru in the shoulder blade but Sesshomaru swiftly moved to the side evading his attack.

"Please don't tell me that's your best?" Sesshomaru said cockily.

Kenshin turned to face him and smiled, "Never underestimate your opponent until they're defeated Sesshomaru." He stopped smiling and turned his head slightly to Kazuki. "Are you taking notes?"

Kazuki lifted up a pencil and notepad he had gotten out of his backpack. He starting jotting down notes on it and relaying them aloud, "Never underestimate…opponent…"

Sesshomaru looked at the boy with a bored expression. These fools were just in his way and less then amusing. He turned towards Kenshin and cocked his head. "I hope your student doesn't take you too seriously." Kenshin smiled and got into another fighting position. This time Sesshomaru charged and slashed but as soon as he thought he struck the man was gone. His eyes widened as he pondered where he could've gone. His thoughts were interrupted when he felt a sharp pain in the back of his head. He slid fell and slid a few feet. He growled and stood up only to see Kenshin standing where he once had. Sesshomaru smiled. "It appears you're stronger then I thought." He shook his head and charged. "Too bad that I know must kill you!" But to his dismay once again Kenshin had dodged. This time Sesshomaru took no time to think and he turned around and block Kenshin's sword with his own. "Do you really think I'm that foolish?"

Kenshin back jumped back and glowered, "I can always hope…" He glanced at Kazuki. "Another thing, opponents rarely fall for the same trick twice." Kazuki jotted down some more notes.

While Kenshin was talking Sesshomaru took the opportunity to slash him across the chest. Kenshin fell back and lay across the ground bleeding. He slowly lifted himself and got ready to strike again.

"Perhaps I'm forgetting some things myself, never let your guard down…" He didn't bother to turn his head this time fearing that Sesshomaru would take the chance to finish him off.

"You're going to get yourself killed…" Sesshomaru said in his usual tone. He charged again and jumped up planning on pinning him to the ground with his sword thinking Kenshin wasn't quite ready. Kenshin did the best thing he could and stuck his sword straight in the air so Sesshomaru would have to back down, for if he were to strike they both would have nice holes through the stomach. Sesshomaru knew this and managed to fall to the side landing gracefully on his feet. He glared for a moment then he noticed that oddness of Kenshin's sword. For once he was dumbfounded. "It's backwards?"

Kenshin smiled and stood up, "It's a reverse blade," He laughed nervously, "I thought you would have noticed that when I struck you the first time."

"You're not even taking this seriously…are you?"

Kenshin shook his head, "When there are people at danger I take all my fights seriously. I don't see why you would ask such a preposterous question." He let out a light chuckle. Sesshomaru nodded towards his sword and Kenshin looked at it like it was nothing special. "Oh, you want to know why the blade is backwards? I have no intentions on killing you, defeating yes, but killing you I don't."

Sesshomaru smiled. "I see how it is." His smile faded. "But I cannot guarantee you the same fate." He charged again.

The manslayer managed to block every strike but he couldn't manage to stop blocking. Every time he thought Sesshomaru let his guard down he would just strike again. Sesshomaru may not have been faster but he had a lot more stamina. He wasn't sure how long he could keep this up. The strikes against their swords though they weren't hitting Kenshin it seemed like it was still harming him, as if the sword had some unknown power to it. Sesshomaru was more worried about his pride. No way was he letting a human defeat him. Kenshin may have been getting more exhausted but Sesshomaru was too and neither were showing it. As Sesshomaru grew more tired he realized Kenshin was getting more and more chances to hit him, but yet he took none. He growled out of frustration and put more force into his next strike. The power of the strike took Kenshin off guard and he was pushed to the ground. Sesshomaru pointed his sword at Kenshin's nose. Kenshin stared at it but didn't move. If he moved he knew Sesshomaru would just make the kill more painful.

"Yes Lord Sesshomaru! Finish him off!" Jaken cheered. Kazuki knocked him out and stood up about ready to go aid his friend but Kenshin stuck out his arm and hand in a stop position.

Sesshomaru teasingly tapped the nose a few times on Kenshin's nose. "A man who won't kill…and who doesn't attack when they have the chance." He stopped taping and a thought struck his mind and his eyes widened. He glowered at Kenshin, "You…"

Kenshin smiled, "You've figured it out did you?"

Sesshomaru let out a soft chuckle. "I give you credit, you're no normal man. To think you used such a simple plan. But you were even willing to let yourself get killed just to wear me out?" He sheathed his sword and started walking towards the forest. He stopped and turned his head. "What is your name?"

"Kenshin, my name is Kenshin."

"Kenshin…" Sesshomaru whispered. He began walking again. "Next time we fight Kenshin, it'll be a real fight."

Jaken jumped up and scampered after his lord. "Wait for me Lord Sesshomaru!"

Kazuki helped Kenshin to his feet. "So you were just trying to wear him out? Just so he wouldn't be able to fight the others?" He laughed. "You're something ya know that Kenshin!" He gave him a hard smack on the back. Kenshin fell to the ground unconscious still bleeding from his chest. "OH SHIT!" He looked around nervously. He sighed, "Dammit…guess I gotta carry him…" He lifted Kenshin onto his back and started walking towards the village. He smiled at Kenshin who was softly breathing. "I was wrong Kenshin, you don't scare me." He looked at the now starry sky. "You and I are nothing alike…It's the Battousi I'm scared of…it's me I'm scared of…"

In the distance stood Salali once again. She was stroking her pet rat and shaking her head. "You have no idea…"

Next Time On Inuyasha! Great now Kazuki has to carry Kenshin half a mile to the village and he has to explain that. What the hell does Koga want? Maybe it has something to do with that giant rat…Next time on Inuyasha, The Giant Rat. See you soon!


	12. The Giant Rat

The Giant Rat

Kazuki interrupted everyone's supper and dropped Kenshin on the floor of the hut they were staying in. He panted a few times. Even though Kazuki was somewhat muscular, but was definitely not capable of carrying a man half a mile. Well, he did…but you know what I mean.

"Hi…guys…" He panted.

Inuyasha growled and stood up knocking over his bowl of food. "What did you do?" He stomped over to Kazuki and pinned him to the frame of the doorway. "Tell me!"

Kazuki winced in pain. Then remembering he couldn't feel pain he scowled at Inuyasha. "If I hurt him why the hell would I bring him to _you_ guys!" He smiled cockily. "I'm not some cat like you, I don't bring my prey back."

Inuyasha dropped him and was moments away from beating the living daylights out of him, but Sanosuke grabbed his fist. Inuyasha tried getting out of his grasp but the human was much stronger then he thought. Kagome rushed to the aid of Kenshin and sat him upright.

She sighed of relief, "Well, he's alive." She studied the new wound across his chest. "It didn't cut that deep…" She frowned at Kazuki. "Didn't Kenshin take you to go practice sword fighting?" She eyed him suspiciously.

Kazuki stood up and brushed himself off. He stared back at her, blinked, scratched his butt, straightened his shirt, and then fixed his hair. "No, we were hungry so I thought we would go grab a pizza or something then maybe head to the movies…"

"SIT BOY!"

Slam

"Not again!" She yelped.

Shippo looked at her funny, "That is the second time you've done that Kagome!"

She coughed and mumbled, "Third." She glared at Kazuki who was on the floor in yet another fit of giggles. She thought to herself, 'Maybe it was more…he sure does get on my nerves…'

He stopped laughing and sat up. He brushed himself off, did a hair flip to get hair out of his face, blinked, opened his mouth to speak, stopped, blinked again, looked around, scratched his head, blinked, scratched his butt, blinked again, then started talking, "Hey Kagome, aren't those reports due tomorrow?"

"Oh my gosh!" She squealed, "Let's go back tomorrow okay? Then we can come back after school."

He cleaned out his ear and studied his finger. "Whatever…"

Her eye-twitched. 'Why must he be so…so…so himself...' She thought.

Once again the night was uneventful. Miroku accidentally asked a married woman to bear his children. He stayed indoors the rest of the night. Kirara and Shippo once again amused themselves by playing with the village's children. Sango got stuck tending to Kenshin's wound…everyone else seemed to forget about the bleeding body on the hut floor…Sanosuke amused himself by watching Inuyasha and some drunk argue. He ended up having to separate it when the drunk said something about Inuyasha being a cat and his mother being a…never mind, gotta keep this PG-13. Kazuki and Meia chatted. Kagome could tell by the tinge of red in Meia's cheeks that Meia had developed a crush on Kazuki. It wasn't as obvious for Kazuki, but by the way he acted around Meia and directed all his attention towards her.

"How cute!" She said to herself. She looked back at her report. "To bad that they couldn't be together…Stupid time difference." She frowned at the paper in front of her. "Now where was I…?"

A certain wolf demon started running towards a certain village looking for _his_ woman. He moved at lightening speed. Probably much faster then Kenshin, but with jewel shards…

Kazuki leaned against the wall of the hut. "I can't believe they're making us share a hut…" He groaned. Why did they put them together? Probably because Sango was taking care of Kenshin, so that took up one hut, Inuyasha was sleeping in a tree elsewhere, Miroku and Sanosuke got stuck sharing a hut, and then Shippo and Kirara were being adored by their many children fans. It's so tough to be adorable…

"Oh well, it's not that big of a deal…" Kagome said. She was sort of lying. Kazuki didn't like to sleep with his shirt on, and she just found out she didn't like him to sleep with his shirt on either. "I'm not tired are you?"

Kazuki stared at her blankly. His eyes seemed to be lackluster. He shook his head. "Sorry, I spaced. No, I'm not tired. I don't feel awake either…" He was swaying back and forth. "Is the room moving…" He was still looking at Kagome, but it was as if he wasn't seeing her. He hit himself on the head. "Whooh…that…was…odd…"

"Kazuki? Are you okay?" She asked worriedly. She sat next to him. "Kazuki? Can you hear me?"

"Ya…ya…I can hear you…" He held his head. "Ugh, I got a major headache." He blinked and for a second Kagome could swear his eyes were bright yellow. She continued to stare at him worriedly. He looked at her and smiled, "Once again, staring thing doesn't work."

"JERK!" She hit him on the shoulder. He laughed at her futile attack. He grabbed his pillow and hit her in the side. This started a huge pillow fight somehow. Just when they finished beating each other with pillows someone entered the hut and watched as they sat there panting and laughing.

"You…you…you touched my woman!" The wolf demon growled. He picked up Kazuki by the throat. "I should slit your throat right now."

"AGH!" He struggled to get free. He kicked his legs in midair.

Kagome grabbed Kouga's arm. "Kouga, put him down, he's a friend."

Kouga looked at her and held onto her hands. "Anything for you Kagome!"

"Thanks for dropping me…" Kazuki moaned as he rubbed his back. "I didn't know we were friends?"

Kagome stopped for a moment and looked at her feet. "Well…I know we kind of hate each other…but I thought we were friends…" She looked at Kouga. "What are you doing here? It's late!" She stopped when she saw Kouga sniffing Kazuki. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

He continued to sniff him. "He…" He took another whiff of him. "He smells like rodent?"

"Oro?" Kazuki eyes went wide.

"You came here to tell me that?" Kagome asked shocked.

"Eh?" He looked at her confused. "NO!" He smacked his forehead. His expression went serious and he kept eye contact with her. "I was wondering if you've seen Kagura lately. I keep looking for her, but she seems to be inactive."

Kagome shook her head. "No, we haven't." She stared at Kazuki who was busy sniffing his armpit.

"Well, is it okay if I go along with your group for awhile Kagome?" Kouga said. He was glaring at Kazuki. There was something odd about him.

"Sure Kouga…" Kagome laughed nervously. "Just please don't kill Inuyasha.

"Well!" Kazuki interrupted. "Now that's that settled…" He pushed Kouga out of the door. "GO FIND YOUR OWN DAMN HUT! I WANNA GET SOME SLEEP!"

Kouga grabbed onto the doorframe. "WHAT ABOUT KAGOME!" He shouted. Kazuki went passed Kouga and grabbed him by his tail. Kouga tightened his grip on the doorframe. "I WON'T ALLOW YOU TO SHARE A HUT WITH MY KAGOME!" Now Kazuki had a hold of Kouga's legs and he was tugging as hard as he could. "LET ME GO!"

After a long night of Kouga sleeping between him and Kagome, Kazuki was dead tired. Every time he went to sleep it felt as if he wasn't going to wake up, almost as if his mind was being pulled into darkness. Throughout the night he heard voices in his head. Telling him to kill them, kill them all. They were just bad dreams he kept telling himself. He hadn't had nightmares in over a year. Why would they start now…?

Sango had Kenshin bandaged up pretty well. He looked almost as good as new and he was his normal cheerful self. Kagome and Kazuki decided they would return home the next day and not worry about their reports.

Kouga glared at the other two new males that joined his Kagome's group. He spat at the ground. "Who are these two? More friends I'm assuming?"

Inuyasha stood between him and the two. "That's none of your business wolf!" He withdrew tetsuseiga and glowered.

"Enemies?" Sanosuke asked no one particular.

Shippo sighed as he sat on Kenshin's shoulder. "More like rivals…"

Sanosuke got a sly look on his face. "Oh! I see!" He snickered. "It's quite obvious…"

Kenshin shook his head. "Now Sanosuke…let's not make them mad…" He opened his eyes and Inuyasha was only a centimeter away. Kenshin looked at him nervously and held up his hands in defense.

"I have ears you know…" Inuyasha said angrily. He flicked Kenshin on the forehead and Kenshin fell over, more out of relief then anything. Inuyasha smiled satisfied. "Now…let's get going."

Meia ran out of one of the huts. She caught up with them and looked around at the group. "May I please go with? Please? I won't get in your way! Even for a little while? Please?" She was talking rather fast. Kagome smiled knowing the reason Meia wanted to spend a little time longer with the group, well, rather with a particular member of the group.

Kagome smiled and patted her on the back. "Of course! Just make sure not to get in the way of the fighting please." She continued to smile and giggle. "The more the merrier! But only for today okay?" Meia nodded and the group started their search.

"This is becoming rather bothersome…" Salali stated as she watched the group from afar. "More people means that Kazuki has more to get rid of…" She frowned. "I suppose I should send someone to dispose of them…" She lifted her pet rat in the air. "What do you say? Feel like a little killing today?" She smiled as the rat squeaked in response. "Good…" She took out a vile from a pouch she held at her side. "This should help…" She poured the red liquid into her hand. It had some swirls of green with it. She held it down to the rat and the rat drank it. "That should do it…" She watched as the rat grew in stature.

"So Kagome…what's the future really like?" Sanosuke asked. The midday was bright and warm. Kazuki felt like closing his eyes and just drifting away. He shook the thought out of his head and continued walking. Sanosuke looked at him oddly. "Anyways, I mean, what does the future hold for Japan?"

"Well…uh…" Kagome stuttered.

"Sanosuke," Kenshin interrupted. "The future is best not revealed that it is." He looked at him seriously. "We do not want to disrupt the time line. We probably already have already disturbed something just by traveling back and forth."

Kouga lifted his nose in the air and started sniffing. "Anyone smell that?" Before anyone could respond the ground started to shake beneath them. They all turned only to see a giant deformed rat demon charging straight at them. It had foam coming from the mouth and it's claws and teeth were about the size of swords.

"WHAT THE FU…HELL!" Kazuki shouted. "Meia! Go hide!" He ordered.

The demon let out a loud growl and it lunged at the closet one to it. Sanosuke jumped onto his head just as it lunged at him snapping its jaw shut. It shook violently to try and get the man of itself. Sanosuke held onto its ears for dear life. Inuyasha slashed at it with his sword and managed to take a chunk out of its shoulder. He gargled a scream. Blood splattered everywhere and it was like acid to anything it touched. Miroku looked up and still saw Sanosuke holding onto the demon. If he hadn't jumped onto it Miroku would've been able to use his wind tunnel. The demon went down for another bite and this time it aimed for a tree that Meia was hiding behind. Kazuki saw this and started sprinting. Once again he was going faster and faster then ever before. He saw Meia trembling and he pushed her out of the way just in time but consequently the demon had him in its jaws.

"KAZUKI!" Everyone shouted.

Sanosuke slid down to the tip of its nose and tried lifting up the demon's jaw. Kazuki lay unconscious inside the demon's mouth. Sanosuke's attempt to open its jaw was futile so he ran up to its forehead and struck as hard as he could. The demon dropped the boy and Sanosuke fell off when it lifted its head in pain. Kenshin managed to catch Kazuki before he hit the ground. Sanosuke landed on a large pink bubble that the group fondly refers to as Shippo. When Shippo reached the ground he transformed back and Sanosuke landed softly. Kenshin laid Kazuki gently against a tree and the two fighters brought their attention back to the demon. It finally started to ignore the pain and started to stomp its way over to the group yet again. Sango jumped on Kirara and they flew into the air. She threw her giant boomerang at it but it just bounced off of the creature. She caught it and looked at the group.

"Any ideas would be nice now!" She shouted down at them. She looked at Kagome who was tending to Kazuki. "Does it have a jewel shard?"

Kagome looked up in dismay. "That's the odd thing! It doesn't!"

Kouga charged at it. "Good! Then I guess I have the advantage!"

It lowered it heads trying to take a bite out of Kouga but Kouga jumped up then kicked the vile creature in the face. It did fall back but immediately it stood up again and charged again. Kouga went for it's gut this time but the outcome was still the same.

Kenshin shook his head, "We can't defeat it one on one." He got into a fighting stance. "We must strike all at once that we must!"

Miroku stood in front of the group. "Wait! I can just suck it into my wind tunnel!"

Sango was still on top of Kirara circling it. "ARE YOU TRYING TO GET YOURSELF KILLED? It's way to big!" She warned him.

Shippo nodded. "If you did use your wind tunnel you would be sucked up along with it!"

Sanosuke interrupted them and growled, "Can't we just go with Kenshin's idea?" He looked up at the monster that was swooping its head down for another bite. "IT'S NOT GONNA WAIT FOR US TO MAKE A DECISION!" They all jumped out of the way. The monster now had a mouth full of dirt it spat it back down and growled. The monster saw Kazuki unintended and it smiled. He stomped over to him.

"KAZUKI!" Meia screamed. No one was close enough anymore to help him if anything happened and if Miroku tried using his wind tunnel he would suck up Kazuki as well.

The monster now was next to Kazuki and it swooped its head to yet again take him in his mouth. It stopped inches away from Kazuki went an arrow went into its back. It screamed in pain and it started glowing. The monster disintegrated and a normal rat appeared in midair. The rat fell to the ground and was immediately dead on impact. Kagome stood several feet away with another arrow ready. When the rat landed she ran over to Kazuki. The others gathered round She felt his pulse and sighed in relief.

Shippo looked at the rat and nearly puked. "What happened to it?"

Kouga walked up to the fox demon and studied the rat remains. "Why have I been smelling so much rodent lately?" He turned towards the group. "Have you guys noticed anything suspicious?"

"Not really." Sango stated.

Sanosuke lifted Kazuki's limp body into his arms. "Let's go back to the village."

Next time on Inuyasha: While Kazuki is asleep the group worries about him. To help ease their minds they start talking about how they really feel about Kazuki. Everyone has their own opinion but they all are still worried, and maybe they should be. Next time on Inuyasha, The Calm Before the Storm. I hope he's okay…


	13. The Calm Before the Storm

The Calm Before The Storm

The group was sitting in the hut all looking at the floor. Kazuki was still asleep since the fight the day before. He didn't have a fever and he was breathing normally but his quietness sent chills down Kagome's spine. It was as if he was dead. Meia couldn't tear herself away from the boy grateful for what he had done.

"He looks so peaceful…" Sango sighed as she watched his chest move up and down.

"Ya…" Kagome muttered, "Rest in peace kind of peaceful…"

Kenshin looked at her sympathetically. "I understand you're upset but you mustn't think of the worst scenario, that you mustn't." He also began to stare at the still body. "Both you and he come from a more peaceful time, I'm sure when you first began that you weren't exactly used to these warring times."

Inuyasha leaned back against the wall and frowned. "Tell me about it…"

Kagome opened her mouth to say sit boy but knew in a way he was right. "Maybe we should take him back."

Sanosuke sat up suddenly and spat out a stick he was chewing on. "Are you nuts? Just imagine it…" He held out his hands holding them to the wall. "Picture this…we drag his limp body down the well. We drag his limp body up the well. We drag his limp body to their house. We knock on his door and Mrs. Kitakawa comes out. 'Mrs. Kitakawa, here is your son." Sanosuke stood up and held out his finger accusingly. "What is wrong with him?" He quickly got on his knees in a begging position. "I'm so--- sorry Mrs. Kitakawa! But your son was almost eaten by a giant rat! But that's okay because he was being noble about it!" He stood up again in the motherly stance. "Oh? And how is this' She will ask." He got back on his knees. "Well, he jumped into harms way to try and save the girl he almost was forced to marry!"

Miroku cleared his throat and scratched his nose while pointing to Meia. She was sitting by Kazuki red from embarrassment and anger.

Sanosuke sighed, "Sorry Meia, I didn't mean to snap like that."

"It's okay…" She mumbled. "It is my fault…"

Inuyasha stood up and exited grumbling, "Tell me when the pity party is over…Let's just leave him here and come back in a day or so. Maybe by then he'll be awake…"

Just then Chika ran into the hut trampling Inuyasha into the ground. "Meia! Meia!" She swept the girls into her arms twirling her about the hut nearly trampling the rest of the group. Inuyasha pulled himself up and stared in horror. This woman was a lot stronger then they all first thought. She had the other girl a good few inches off the ground.

"Sango!" Shippo exclaimed, "Maybe she's possessed by a demon!" He hid behind her leg cowering. "Not that I'm worried or anything…"

"What's…wrong?" Sango questioned.

The normally passive woman was laughing and smiling. She pulled her sister into a tight hug then released her. She flushed red realizing what a fool she had made of herself. "I'm sorry…I was just excited." She said softly and smiled gently.

"So what's the news?" Kagome said excitedly.

"I'm getting married!" She exclaimed excitedly. She spread her arms and began twirling. She sighed dreamingly and began talking about him, "His name is Hiroshi. He's kind, handsome, gentle…" She stopped twirling and smiled. "He's the same man who let you and Kazuki borrow his sword." She sweat-dropped, "He would like it back…"

"Sorry about that Miss Chika." Kenshin laughed nervously, "I meant to give it back that I did. Congratulations, he seemed like a nice man when I talked to him."

"What?" Kagome said confused, "You've only known the man for…" She stopped to think then she exclaimed. "Two days!"

Chika was in her own little world so she didn't seem to hear or maybe she just didn't care. "We want to get married tomorrow…"

Everyone congratulated her and gave her the best of wishes. Chika thanked them then stared at Kazuki. "I can take care of him for a while of you like, it's the least I can do."

Miroku nodded, "Actually that's what we were planning to do." He grew serious and he narrowed his eyes. "We can't stay here much longer, we've already wasted much time." He stared back it Kazuki, "We'll come back soon to check on him, or when Kagome plans on going home she can come get him."

Chika nodded and her voice softened, "I'm so sorry for all the trouble my sisters and I have put you through…" She forced a laugh, "But seeing Akako and Chiyo adjust is well worth it I suppose. Meia and I shall see that Kazuki stays safe. Won't we Meia?" She smiled at her younger sister who only nodded.

"Not to impose or anything but do you have any supplies that we could possibly use?" Sango asked.

Chika smiled and winked, "I'm sure I can manage something."

And Chika did just that. The villagers were overgenerous. They gave them everything they needed if not more. They were still worked up over them returning the four daughters. Soon they were on the road again in search of the jewel shards, but still it was hard for Kagome to pinpoint any. Their best bet was just to continue forward until she had a stronger sensation.

"I spy with my little eye…something that is yellow!" Shippo exclaimed happily as they walked along the worn out path.

Kagome pondered for a moment then snapped her fingers. "Inuyasha's eyes?"

"Nope!"

She frowned, "Oh, I thought I had it…" She groaned, they had been playing this game for half an hour and there were less and less thing too choice from. She let out an exasperated sigh and thought to herself, 'This is the last time I teach anyone any games.' She quickly changed her tone and glanced around, "Is it my backpack?"

"Right!" he said happily, "This game is fun Kagome! Now lets see…"

She sighed again. 'Where was a demon when you needed one?'

Sanosuke looked at Shippo annoyed, "Have you ever met someone named Yahiko?"

Shippo looked at him confused and asked, "No, why?"

"Nothing…just remembering how overzealous he could be…" He looked up realizing they were in the thicker parts of the forest making it hard to see. "I miss buildings…at least you could see the sky with buildings…"

"In our time…" Kagome began while kicking a small rock out of the way. "In our time some buildings are so tall it can be hard to see the sky."

"Our?" Sango asked.

Kagome stopped for a moment realizing Kazuki was not with him. She lowered her head and continued, "Sorry…forgot…"

Kenshin smiled sympathetically, "Now Kagome, he'll be fine that he will. It's more then likely a minor concussion."

Inuyasha glared up at the sky of trees, "Ya, that's what usually happens when ya land on your head."

"Sit boy!"

Slam

Inuyasha crawled out of the crater angry and with twigs in his hair. "I'm surprised I don't have a concussion with how she treats me!"

"SIT SIT SIT SIT!"

Slam, farther down slam, even farther slam, and farthest slam.

Inuyasha growled in frustration. "That's it, let's camp here for the night." He disappeared into a tree wanting to get away from everyone. He needed some time alone anyways.

Sanosuke made a mental note to himself, 'Note to self, jewelry is for woman. Not men with pissy women.'

The group sat eating around the fire, all with their own thoughts and in their own little worlds. The fire flickered and they all sat their not speaking. Sanosuke threw a stick into the fire and it crackled. The stick was soon engulfed in flames.

"When do you think Kazuki will wake up?" Kagome finally asked.

No one answered right away not sure on how to answer. Finally Sanosuke spoke up with a smirk on his face.

"I don't know but when he does he's gonna pissed that we left him."

"I hope he's okay." Shippo said as he tried to figure out the yo-yo Kagome had given him. "He's kind of fun to be around."

They could hear a nearby feh, "Feh, more like a pest if you ask me."

Sanosuke threw a rock at the invisible voice. "Oh come on, you were worried just as anyone else was. You practically de-clawed yourself with all that nervous chewing."

The same rock came flying back hitting Sanosuke square in the forehead and leaving a red imprint. "Feh! You're imagining things!"

Miroku sat there crossed-legged and with his eyes closed. "I don't know Inuyasha…"

"I'm not going to piss myself over some weirdo who thinks I'm a cat!"

"He was quite peculiar wasn't he, even for someone from a different time." Sango added to the conversation. "Moody I guess is a good word."

"Kagome, how did you come across him in the first place?" Miroku asked interested. "You two didn't exactly see eye to eye at times."

Kagome clenched her fists and snapped, "That jerk was my new neighbor! His mother was at our house and apparently he was snooping around upstairs or something…" She grabbed the sides of her face and squeaked, "He was snooping around upstairs! What if he went into my room! What if he read my diary!" She stopped to catch her breath for a moment then continued. "The jerk then decided to spend the night at our house for some odd reason. Talk about imposing. He even has the nerves to search through our medicine cabinet! Then he goes and blackmails me…THE JERK!"

The group stood quiet for a moment wide-eyed until Inuyasha soon appeared his eyes covered by his bang and him looking downward.

"He…made…me…do…tricks…" Inuyasha muttered.

"What?" Sango asked confused.

"HE MADE ME DO TRICKS FOR CASH!" He screamed. He clenched his fists and seethed through his teeth, "I was humiliated!"

Sango squinted her eyes. "If you ask me he's just a pervert…" Images of the magazine went through her head and her eye started twitching. "Just a little pervert."

Miroku held his arms behind his back now while he walked. "Actually, he's not a pervert if you ask me. At least he wasn't in the hot springs…" He clamped his mouth shut.

Sango jogged up to him and tapped him on the shoulder. "What does that mean?" She snapped.

"Um…what does what mean?"

Kenshin sighed and started explaining, "When we were at the other village with the sisters they had an indoor hot springs…and…well…Kazuki is quite the bashful one that he is…"

Sanosuke nodded. "His face matched the color of his hair. It was amusing for at first…but then it was just kind of sad."

Sango frowned. "But he's still a pervert."

Kagome held her finger to her chin thoughtfully. "Maybe the magazine was his brother's…He wasn't exactly…nice…"

"Kazuki has a brother?" Shippo asked as he jumped onto Kenshin's shoulder.

"Ya, his name is Kisho." Kagome stated. "Him and Kazuki look nothing alike…and Kisho makes Kazuki look like a saint! Right away he snapped at me for no reason!"

"I thought he was okay…" Sanosuke said.

"You and he are the about the same age, and your both just a buncha punks." Inuyasha laughed. Sanosuke put him in a headlock.

"Wanna say that again!" Sanosuke 'joked'.

"His dog was cute!" Kagome blurted happily. "Oh whoops, that was kinda random." She laughed nervously.

"Temis?" Sanosuke asked. "She was kinda fat."

She thought about the dog for a moment and she thought of something. She sighed, "Kazuki wanted to tell me something that day…but we got called to the kitchen."

Sanosuke lifted a finger and smiled, "Where we found a certain dog demon cooking."

"Inuyasha cooked!" Shippo laughed.

"Why you little…" Inuyasha growled.

"ORO!" Kenshin yelped as Inuyasha chased him around the group. Shippo was holding tightly onto Kenshin's Kimono.

Miroku stuck out his foot when they ran past and the three went flying ahead. They ran up to them and they were lying in a heap on the ground.

Sango sighed. "When will you grow up…"

"But Sango! I'm still a child!" Shippo chirped.

"I WASN'T TALKING TO YOU!" She snapped. She stopped and sighed. "Sorry, guess I'm a little high strung."

"About Kazuki…" Kagome asked. "I think everyone is."

"Stupid punk, making us worry." Sanosuke said smiling. "Always thinking of himself."

"It was that same punk that saved me and Inuyasha…" Kenshin added. "Without him we probably would have killed each other."

"I guess we do owe the punk for that."

"Then again," Inuyasha narrowed his eyes. "If we never brought the punk we probably would have never gone to your time!" He sat Indian style with his arms firmly across his chest.

Kagome smiled, "Weird how one person can change your destiny, huh?"

"What?"

She shook her head still smiling, "Nothing Inuyasha…"

"Things sure would have been different without Kazuki…" Miroku began.

Inuyasha spat at the ground and stood up. "He's not dead! Just unconscious! Get that through your head monk." He jumped into a tree and disappeared again.

The fire was starting to go out and it was much darker outside Kenshin stood up and smiled at the group. "I can go get some more firewood, Kagome, care to join me?"

"Uh, sure." She stood up and followed Kenshin into a small clearing where some sticks littered the ground. She looked at him and tilted her head, "Kenshin, are you worried about Kazuki?"

"Well…Miss Kagome, I'm not sure if it's anything, but he said something once that bothered me…"

"What did he say?"

"He said I scared him…He wouldn't go into any more detail than that. This happened while I was at his home. He was talking to his dog…"

"I WAS RIGHT!"

"ORO?"

"Oh nothing…" Kagome laughed nervously. "Just something I was pondering that same night. Please continue."

"Well, though I hate to admit it I was eavesdropping." Kenshin said ashamed. "But he was saying how terrible he felt but that he felt great."

"He keeps needing sleep…"

"That also worries me. I'm wondering if him sleeping for so long has anything to do with that."

"Maybe he's sick and he didn't tell us!" Kagome shouted worryingly. "Oh Kenshin! What if there's something seriously wrong with him! What if he has some sort of disease and didn't tell us!"

"Calm down Kagome…" Kenshin held onto her shoulders. "If there was anything seriously wrong with him his mother would have told us. Did he hit his head any time after you met him?"

"Not really…No, I don't think so."

"There is something wrong with him, I'm sure of that. The question is what." Kenshin looked at the setting sun. "It'll be night soon. If you want we can go back."

"No, I'll go back by myself tomorrow. I'm sure he'll be okay when I get there…" She gulped, "I hope…" She picked up one last stick of firewood. "Let's go back now."

They walked back to the camp and everyone was there just sitting around boringly doing nothing in particular. 'Things will be better, tomorrow I can go check on him.' She said to herself to ease her worried mind.

Meia walked into the hut to check on Kazuki. It was already dark out and she had to leave to go eat supper. She went in there and saw Kazuki sitting up against the wall with his head tilted down so she couldn't see his face.

"Kazuki!" She said relieved. "You have no idea how worried everyone has been!" She started to walk towards him. "I'm glad you're awake…" She wiped a tear away from her face. "I'm just so happy."

He shifted slightly but remained silent.

"Oh Kazuki! Sorry, but your friends decided to go on ahead of you…" She looked at him for a response but he said nothing. "Miss Kagome said she'd come back for you tomorrow if you were awake. Oh yes! Chika's getting married! Isn't that wonderful? A warrior in the village proposed to her. The same one that let you borrow that sword I believe…Kazuki? Why aren't you saying anything? I'm sorry if I made you mad…thank you for saving me…Kazuki…I…I…love you…"

She could hear a soft chuckle. She stood there startled and watched as Kazuki slowly raised his head. She stepped backwards as he stared at her. His eyes were no longer violet but a frightening yellow.

Kagome smiled at the group like nothing had happened but then something suddenly jumped behind her. She turned around and nearly screamed. Kagura stood behind them with her bored expression. She stood there just glaring as if she had nothing better to do.

Everyone grabbed for his or her weapon except for Sanosuke and Kenshin who were confused about the intruder.

"What do you want Kagura!" Sango snapped.

"Oh quiet, I'm not here to fight."

Inuyasha jumped down from his tree and withdrew tetsuseiga. "Oh? Then just came to die is it?"

Her expression grew angrier. "Hardly, I came here to warn you."

"Warn us?" Miroku questioned but remained in a fighting stance.

"Just head back to the village before it's to late." She was about to leave but stopped. "And if anyone asks, I was never here, understand?" She then disappeared.

"The village…" Kenshin pondered. "KAZUKI!" He began to run in an all out sprint. Everyone realizing what might have happened followed.

Kazuki held Meia's limp body in his arms. She slowly slid to the floor and he could hear a thud. He lightly shook the blood from his right hand. He stared down at her body and smirked. "Only the rest of the world to go…"

Next time on Inuyasha: What has Kazuki done and why? Can the others save him? Will Naraku actually appear in person and reveal his insidious plot? Next time on Inuyasha, Village of Destruction.


	14. Village of Destruction

Village of Destruction

The sun had completely set sometime ago and Kenshin was getting tired. They could see a bright light in the distance.

Kenshin eyes went wide in disbelief, "That light is coming from the village! KAZUKI!" He ran even faster now. He and the others arrive at the village. It was in ruins and what was left was on fire. Kenshin's eyes darted around the village trying to search for life. He heard Kagome scream.

"MEIA!" She screamed as she knelt down and shook the girl's limp body.

"Oh no…" Sango gasped. She walked over to a hut where Chika and her fiancé were. They were holding each other but both were dead and covered in blood.

"Who would be sick enough to do this?" Sanosuke growled. He pounded his fist into the ground. "This is disgusting!"

Inuyasha sniffed the air and his eyes went wide. He started walking towards the center of the village and the others followed. "I don't smell his blood…" He sputtered nervously. "Why can't I smell his blood?"

In the center of the village stood a figure staring at his masterpiece, just standing there silently and smiling. He was covered in blood, but none was his own. His hair tie had come undone and his long red hair blew violently in the wind. His eyes met with Inuyasha's and his grin grew wider.

"Kazuki…." Kenshin whispered.

"Oh," He said as he faced them all. He still had a smiled plaster on his face. He waved a bloody hand in the air and laughed. "I guess I didn't see you there!"

"What's wrong with you!" Kagome shouted. She clenched her fists in front of her. "Why did you do this?"

"How do you know I did it…?" He said smiling. He then looked at the blood all over his hands and clothes. "Well, I guess the evidence is quite apparent…" He started walking towards them. For every step he took the group took another cautious step back. "What's wrong? Doesn't anyone want to greet me?"

"Kazuki! What happened?" Kenshin demanded. "This is a heinous crime! Why would you do such a thing?"

Kagome started crying. "It's my fault! I should have taken out that stupid shard! I should have known it was messing with his head!"

Sango glared at Kazuki. "So he's just like Kohaku…" She bit her lip. "What do we do?" They continued to walk backwards as he slowly made his way towards them.

Kazuki stopped and he stared at them caringly. "I guess you'll just have to kill me…" His voice sounded sad. He lowered his head and held himself firmly. "It's the only way…" He looked up slightly to see if anyone had made a move. Everyone just stood there unable to speak and motionless. He smacked his forehead and started laughing again. "That's right! You guys wouldn't be able to live with yourselves!" He tilted his head curiously. "I wonder what Mother would say, what Father would say…Knowing you killed me…" He started suppressing another laugh. "Liked I'd let you…"

"Kazuki! You must take out the jewel shard! You don't know what you're saying or doing!" Miroku shouted.

"Try and take it!" He growled as he charged at them. His speed matched Kenshin's and he was aiming for Inuyasha. Inuyasha blocked with his sheath and threw the boy back. Kazuki landed on his feet and slid backwards. He smiled and charged again.

Miroku looked at Kagome and his voice was stern, "You have to purify that shard!"

"HOW!" She screamed. She watched as Inuyasha helplessly blocked with the sheath of his sword. "The shard is all the way in his back!"

Sanosuke came up from behind and grabbed Kazuki's arm trying to prevent him from moving. "Come on kid! Stay still!"

Inuyasha sighed in relief when Sanosuke took control. He remembered when Inuyasha had tried hurting Kazuki and Sanosuke had stopped him easily. "Thank…"

Kazuki broke free and punched Sanosuke in his lower jaw, Sanosuke then went flying into an old wagon.

"NO WAY!" Inuyasha growled.

Kagome hurriedly put an arrow on her bow and aimed directly at Kazuki. The arrow was going directly for his face. She gasped realizing this. The arrow struck.

"That's sickening…" Inuyasha growled.

"What?" Kazuki questioned. He tossed Akako's body aside with the arrow still intake to her face. "She was dead anyway…and besides…." He spat on her body making sure to hit her face. "I never liked the bitch anyways. Now where did that incarnation of mine go…?" He held his hand behind his back and grabbed onto Kenshin's sword in an instance. "That's not where the shard is Kenshin…" He said cockily. He glided the sword a little higher and to the right. "It's right there…" Kazuki glided his finger along the side of the sword cutting his finger on the blade. "You flipped the blade…"

Kenshin pulled his sword back and stepped back a few feet. "Yes, that I did."

"So were you trying to kill me or take out the shard?"

'There's no way the shard gave him that much power…' Inuyasha pondered. He looked frantically on the ground and found a small rock. While Kenshin was distracting Kazuki, Inuyasha chucked the rock as hard as he could. He caught it easily and studied it.

"A rock?" Kazuki blurted. "What the hell were you trying to do with a rock…" He studied it. "This thing is about the size of an ant!" He turned around the face Inuyasha. "At least throw a big one!"

"Something else is affecting him…"

"That's right Inuyasha, how very clever." A male voiced echoed in a distance.

"Naraku!" Inuyasha hissed.

"Wow, he's on a roll…" Kazuki joked flicking the rock aside. "Can I kill them now? I haven't killed anything in at least ten minutes…"

Sango and Shippo were on Kirara above. Sango was furious. She had already had this fate to her brother she couldn't stand the thought of him controlling someone else she cared about. "Why are you doing this Naraku? Can't you find a way to get to us on your own?"

He walked closer into view. "Actually…" He rubbed his chin. "I find this much more amusing…" He was now at Kazuki's side.

Kenshin narrowed his eyes at Naraku. "I don't believe we've been introduced."

"He's called Naraku…" Miroku seethed. "He's after the jewel shards and our number one enemy."

"Why are you using Kazuki?" Kagome shouted. "He hasn't done anything to you!"

"Actually…" Naraku pondered aloud while he studied Kazuki. "It was you Kagome I had originally planned to kill off the others…" He frowned in disapproval. "I have no idea how the wench screwed up but she assured me that you would receive the jewel shard."

"Kagura?" Inuyasha questioned as he steadily held his sword ready to strike.

Naraku let out a soft chuckle, "You and I both now she wouldn't be able to control Kazuki unless he was dead and I assure you that if you stab him he will bleed." He smiled. "No matter, this is more amusing anyways, he's much faster and stronger then Kagome. Besides, this way everyone part of your little group can watch each other die off one by one." He looked at Kazuki and nodded, "Pick whichever you like, but save Inuyasha for last no matter what. I'm leaving now, if anyone follows, kill them." He left and no one dared to move, all of them were currently targets.

Kazuki stared at them boringly. Already his opponents bored him. "Well?" He picked up a bloody blade off the ground. He studied it and laugh. "I love irony…" He held it in Kenshin's direction. "This blade look familiar?"

Kenshin studied it from a distance but it was hard to recognize it with all the blood. Then it hit him. "That's the sword you borrowed from Hiroshi!"

He smiled and nodded, "And I gave it back…well I put it in his back, same difference." He began walking towards them his eyes looked crazed and were bright with the fire reflecting off them. "Ever hear Chika scream? The girl had some lungs on her…to bad I punctured those…she didn't die so gracefully I suppose."

"Kazuki! Enough!" Kenshin growled as he took a few steps toward the boy.

Kazuki began laughing again. "What? The battousi can't stand to hear it?" He stopped laughing and glared. "How is this any different then you?" He spat on the ground. "Hypocrite. Akako would have been nice for you." He grabbed his ribs and started laughing even harder. "She actually attacked me!" He steadied himself on a burning building. "I had already killed some other people and she attacked me! WITH A BROOM!" He held his cheek. "The bitch sure can hit hard. I got startled and just stabbed her in the heart…I saved Toyo for last…I decided I wanted her to suffocate. So I just simply held my hand to her mouth, I just let her suffocate…" His voice was growing quiet. "I got to tell her how it was all her fault…"

Kenshin couldn't take anymore and he charged at the boy. Kazuki stood there just glaring at him his eyes piercing his. He raised his sword up to Kazuki's face and slashed the boy across the face. Kenshin jumped back and stared in amazement. "Why didn't you dodge that?"

The blood slowly dripped from Kazuki's face. Kazuki smiled and joked, "Trying to make me more like you?" He nodded towards Kenshin's own scar. "Only missing one thing…" He rose his own sword and slashed a parallel line to the other scar. "There…" He wiped away the blood on his face with the palm of his hand leaving a red smear.

Kenshin stopped. The scene scared him. Kazuki stood before him but he could only see was a modernized battousi, maybe even worse. Kazuki pulled out a hair tie from his pocket and took the opportunity to put his hair back up. There were only slight alterations between them. Kazuki was a tad bit taller and had slightly shorter hair. Kenshin stance at the moment was more serious while Kazuki stood there carefree just waiting for him to strike again.

Kazuki turned on his heel and started walking away. "You all bore me. Take the opportunity to stab me in the back if you must." He waited a moment and when no one replied he continued to walk away. "That doesn't necessarily mean with a sword…" He then jumped into a tree and they could hear him sprint away."

Kagome fell to her knees and held onto the ground. She began shaking uncontrollably and tears started welling up in her eyes. "What's wrong with him…"

Inuyasha crossed his arms and walked around the corpses of the very village people who took them in. "The jewel shard was tainted…Kagome! I thought you took that blasted thing out! How the hell were the rest of us supposed to tell that it was still in?"

Miroku knelt down by Kagome and patted her back sympathetically. "Inuyasha, you shouldn't be so hard. There was no way for her to make him take it out…" He stood up and glanced at some of the bodies. "The best we can do for them now is give them a proper burial."

While burying the bodies Kagome made sure to mark the people's graves she knew. Lucky for the group the bodies were still pretty intact. Miroku gave his blessings and by the time all the bodies were buried the sun was already starting to rise.

Kenshin looked towards the direction in which Kazuki had left earlier. "We should follow him."

"Do you think we can save him?" Miroku questioned. "He is under Naraku's control."

Sango glared at him and started heading toward the forest where Kazuki went. "Come on, let's go."

Shippo stood beside Miroku and tugged on his pant leg. "Uh, Miroku, isn't Sango's brother Kohaku in the same situation?"

The group was soon following Sango giving her some space. She seemed to be a little upset. Miroku hit a sensitive spot. Sango clenched her fists. 'What if nether one of them can be helped? At least I have the right to take care of Kohaku…but what right do any of us have to end Kazuki's life? I'm Kohaku's sister…but Kazuki…'

"Are you all right?" Kenshin asked her.

She stared at him blankly. When did he walk next to her? She looked behind her and the rest of the group was still a distance away. "It's nothing…"

"Alright…"

"Well…it's just how negative Miroku was…"

"Oh?"

"My brother Kohaku is in the same plight as Kazuki and how he…"

"Oh, I understand."

"And if it did take a turn for the worst I feel I'm the only one who can take Kohaku's life…but what of Kazuki?"

"Don't worry about it." Kenshin said encouragingly. "I'm sure that both of them will return back to normal, that I do."

Kenshin stopped and suddenly pushed Sango to the ground. A sword dug into Kenshin's shoulder. He screamed in agony. The rest of the group heard the scream and quickly caught up to their other two members. Kazuki withdrew his sword and jumped out of the way of Inuyasha's sword. He was now in front of them laughing.

"Hey, get it? Stabbed in the back?" Kazuki laughed. The rest of the group didn't find it as funny. He waved his held out his arm slightly and waved his hand up and down. "Never mind."

Kenshin tried standing up but he immediately collapsed from the pain in his shoulder. "Kazuki…stop this now…"

"Hey! I had a good few hours for you guys to catch up!" He chuckled. "You didn't have to jump in the way." He swung them sword with his hand like a baton. "Well, I thought it was funny." He stopped spinning his sword and held it in his hand ready to attack. "Now Kenshin…let's finish this!"

Next Time on Inuyasha: Naraku has control of Kazuki now and revealed his heinous plot, but first Kazuki must train to make sure he is powerful enough to destroy them all; also, Kazuki will get a training partner. With Kazuki under Naraku's control what will happen? Next Time on Inuyasha: A Dark New Family, see you soon.


	15. A Dark New Family

A Dark New Family

Kazuki charged at the defenseless samurai and he was much to quick for the others to stop him. He held up his sword ready to strike when Kagome shouted something that made him cringe.

"Wait! If you kill him you may never be born!" Kagome screamed.

Kazuki stopped and dropped the sword on the ground and it bounced a little. He stared at Kenshin horrified realizing what he almost did. He gulped and stared at Kagome blankly with wide eyes.

Sanosuke helped Kenshin up and let him rest on his side. "Kazuki, just stop and you can go. We can just forget this ever happened."

They'll never let you forget… It's a trap… You can't trust them… 

_They're lying…_

_Come back now Kazuki…_

You can finish them later… 

Kazuki picked up his sword and left without saying a word.

"Kazuki!" Kagome shouted after.

"Kenshin…" Sanosuke said as he looked at the limp body.

"KENSHIN!" Kagome cried.

The group panicked until they heard a light snore.

Inuyasha's eye twitched. "He's—sleeping!" He grabbed the man's shoulders. "HOW DARE YOU SLEEP AT A TIME LIKE…" He let out a large yawn. "Well…we have been up quite some time…" He let Kenshin fall back in Sanosuke's arms.

They heard loud snoring and they looked around confused. The only visible person asleep was Kenshin and he was snoring lightly. Kagome looked at her bag and emptied out its contents on the ground. Out popped Shippo curled up in an empty potato chip bag.

"Okay…?" Miroku blinked.

"Let's just find a place to sleep." Sango sighed. "We can find Kazuki later today or tomorrow. If we find him and pass out who knows what will happen."

Kazuki slept on the floor of a room quietly. If you didn't know any better you would think he was dead. Naraku shut the door and stared at Salali.

"What exactly does the blood do to him?"

She let out a small laugh and flipped some of her hair. "Well, obviously the blood makes him under my control."

Naraku glared and they both started walking to a different room. "Then why didn't he finish off the other man?" He sat down in his room where Kanna sat with her mirror.

"Well…" She let her sentence linger a little while trying to explain it. "He isn't completely controlled…he still has his own thoughts and memories, it's just that now he thinks…differently."

Naraku crossed his arms and had a cold look on his face. "Alright, but can he over power you?"

Salali let out another small laugh and placed her hands on her hips. "By the time he can he'll probably already be dead."

Naraku smiled and shook his head. "I doubt that. From what I saw they won't allow him to die. If they do kill him it'll be completely accidental. How exactly does the blood make him stronger?"

She sighed and crossed her arm. She walked over to the window and stared out as demons flew past. "Kazuki will die. Not because they will kill him."

"What?" Naraku asked angry and confused. "Why didn't you tell me this?"

Salali turned around smiling. "Because, he's plenty powerful to kill them." She turned around and closed her eyes. "The blood causes their power to build up and age. The power he will gain, as he gets older is building up. It'll eventually tear him up and kill him. He won't be able to handle all that power." She smiled at him. "He'll get the job done. He now craves to kill."

"If he doesn't get the job done you will be sorry." Naraku stated sternly. "How much longer does he have left?"

"I don't know…" She murmured. "My pets have only lasted a day or two. I guess that they were absorbing a lot more energy then what they needed." She held a finger to her chin. "Maybe it has some unknown side effects…"

"Just make sure Kazuki gets the job done." Naraku growled. "When he wakes up have him go train."

She bowed and exited the room. "Yes Master."

Kazuki sat up started not remembering where he was. His head throbbed and he had the strongest burning sensation in his stomach. 'That dream…' He thought. He clutched his stomach harder. "What's this pain…?" He let go when the pain suddenly away.

"It's your body feeding off your energy." Salali stated as she walked into the room.

Kazuki stared blankly at the demon. "My energy?"

She ushered him outside where the demons flew overhead. It was now dark and there was a thick purple mist above them hiding some of the demons in their covering. Kagura out of nowhere from the mist and landed in front of the two.

Salali smiled and crossed her arms. "I heard you had a little encounter with the group right before they got to the village."

Kagura stared confused then glared. "Who told you?"

"Oh…a little mouse." She sneered. She clutched Kagura's shoulder and smiled casually. "We wouldn't want Naraku to find out now would we?"

"What do you want…?" Kagura hissed.

Salali grew serious and closed her eyes. "Stay out of my way." She walked away bored. "And you train the boy. I have much more important things to do…" She turned around before leaving and smiled. "Besides, it's not like you're going anywhere." She disappeared into the thick mist.

"That wretch…"

Kazuki crossed his arms and glared. "And you are?" He tapped his foot impatiently.

"Your trainer for now I suppose." She left a moment and came back with a boy. "This is your temporary sparing partner. Kazuki, this is Kohaku. Kohaku, Kazuki."

Kohaku just looked at Kazuki with a vacant stare.

"You guys are in the same boat so I suggest you get used to each other." She said firmly. She pointed to some of the demons in the air. "I want you to practice destroying some of those demons.

As if on command a demon swooped down and charged at Kohaku. Kohaku easily destroy it without any hesitation. When that demon was destroyed more started coming down.

Kazuki smiled and clenched his sword. "This is bound to be fun."

Kohaku stared at him blankly then began hitting demons with his weapon.

Kazuki was enjoying himself while he destroyed the various demons. He was even laughing as their blood spilled. By the time he and Kohaku were finished the ground was drenched in demon blood. Kagura had to relocate herself on the roof just so she wouldn't get splatter…or with how enthused Kazuki was, killed.

"I didn't tell you to kill them all!" Kagura snapped.

Kazuki shrugged and crossed his arms behind his back. "…They had it coming either way." He started to walk back into castle.

"HOLD IT!" Kagura shouted.

Both Kazuki and Kohaku stopped and Kazuki glared.

"You both are covered in blood." She jumped down from the castle and stared disgusted. "There's a hot springs nearby, go wash up. NOW!"

"Whatever." Kazuki growled as Kohaku lead him to the hot springs.

When they were both in there Kazuki starred at Kohaku curiously. He wasn't so used to quiet people. "Hey, kid, where ya from?"

"It doesn't matter." Kohaku whispered. Kazuki still was giving him a curious look so Kohaku answered. "I don't remember."

"You don't remember?" Kazuki said confused. Kazuki still had his complete memory. This made his actions a lot more disturbing. But he couldn't help himself; he enjoyed it way too much. Kazuki chuckled, "That must be nice."

"Why are you here?" Kohaku questioned.

Kazuki stopped for a moment and pondered the question. Salali was his master, what else was there to say? He had to listen to her didn't he? "Because my master is here I guess."

"That new woman? The one with the pet rats."

"I guess."

"Why is she your master?"

'Why is she…?' He pondered. Because she has to be, it was just a fact. "Hey? Why so many questions?"

"You started it."

Kazuki stopped, "I…I guess I did." He thought for a moment. "Hey, since we have to work together let's try and be friends okay? You watch my back and I watch yours."

Kohaku nodded. "Okay."

"Good." Kazuki smiled. "I need an ally." He got out and put his clothes on. "Come on kid, you're getting all wrinkly."

Kohaku stood up and Kazuki tossed him his clothes. "Thanks."

'This kid's just like me. I need someone I can talk to…' Both the boys walked back to the castle only to be greeted by Kagura.

"I wanted you both just to go rinse. Not have a little party."

Kazuki smiled and walked past her. "Hey! You should've been there! There was a wet T-shirt contest!" He laughed and the two boys entered the room that they both now had to share.

"A WHAT!" She shouted. She held her head in frustration. Where did they find these people? "Why do I have to put up with these people?" She groaned.

Kohaku sat in the far corner of the room and staring at the bare walls. His expression was solemn as usual and held no real emotional. His dark eyes followed Kazuki's as the redhead took a seat next to him looking at him curiously. They stared at each other for the longest time, each of them weighing out the other.

Kazuki sat up and stretched. Every nerve in his body was on end. His mind was so clear and he had energy to burn. How could some kid just want to sit around all day? His hands shook slightly. He was in a state of mind where his body was telling him to kill anything to move. He needed the sensation of blood around him.

He laughed nervously to himself, "What I need is to stop thinking so much…"

Kohaku looked at him dully then proceeded to sit there in silence. "Do you normally talk to yourself?"

Kazuki paced back and forth around the room. 'I need to do something…did he just say something? A fu…heck who cares…did I just stop myself from swearing in my own head?' He stopped and started tapping his foot rapidly. "At least Kazuki isn't talking to himself in third person…DAMMIT!"

"You're…strange…" Kohaku muttered.

"Ya…Mom said that I just like to draw attention to myself…" He spat out rapidly. 'Maybe I just have to take a whiz…usually I start talking faster when I hafta whiz…have I taken a whiz since I've been here? There was when we were in the hot tub…great…now I'm lying to myself…'

"What are you doing?" Salali asked raising an eyebrow and giving him a glare. "I thought I told you to go train!" She growled.

Kazuki sat down Indian style and grunted. "We finished about half an hour ago." He uncrossed his legs and laid down. He supported his head with one arm and waved her off with the other. "You really think some measly demons are going to keep me preoccupied for hours on end?"

She was astonished for a second. The two boys had cleared out dozens of demons in a short period of time. A devious grin spread on her face and she closed her eyes satisfied. 'Naraku will be pleased with this.' She then frowned and bit her lip. 'But he may be getting to powerful to quickly, at this rate he could die any day.'

"What is with women and staring?" He stood up and was only millimeters away from her face. "Hello—earth to Master!"

She snapped out of her trance and immediately slapped him sending him flying into Kokako who managed to catch his body. "Don't come near me. As your master I demand that you stop with your childish antics!"

Kazuki held the slap mark on his face and nodded. "I'm sorry Master, please forgive me."

Salali smiled and walked over to him. Kohaku let Kazuki go and took a step back. The rat lady scared him. Salali smiled and placed a hand gently on Kazuki's shoulder. "Make sure it never happens again." She brought her attention to Kohaku and he tensed up. "Tomorrow I want you both to train, you need to teach him a little respect."

Kohaku nodded, even if he didn't like her, he still had to obey her. "Yes Salali." 

Salali left and Kohaku glared at her. He walked over to Kazuki and knelt down. Kazuki just sat there head down and staring at the floor tiles. "Are you okay?" Kohaku asked.

Kazuki looked up and gave him a funny look. "Ya? Why wouldn't I be?" He leaned back against the wall again and closed his eyes. "We should get some sleep."

Kohaku eyes went soft and he nodded. "If you say so. Goodnight Kazuki." He waited for a response but Kazuki only sat there, possibly sleeping. Kohaku laid down near him and began falling to sleep. "Kazuki…you don't deserve this…"

Salali walked into Naraku's room and sat on her legs. She was smiling from ear to ear, happy with Kazuki's progress. "He was able to destroy all the demons quickly Master."

Naraku mouth opened slightly to say something but he stopped. He shook his head and spoke, "There's no way that he could have destroyed them all yet, he's just a mere mortal."

"I told you Master, the blood makes him much more powerful." She stood up and walked over to him and bowed. "I hope that this pleases you."

Naraku sighed and turned his head looking at the wall. "Yes, I suppose, good work Salali." He gave a manipulative smile. "That'll do for now."

Salali blushed and quickly left the room. "Yes, of course!" She slid the door shut behind her and slid down against it. She held her hand against chest and let out a loud sigh. "Naraku…I'll do anything for you…" She whispered.

Next time on Inuyasha: Now that Kazuki is on Naraku's side he has to train with Kohaku. While out Kazuki decides that he doesn't want to go back to the castle just yet; on his little break he runs into someone he's met before…Next time on Inuyasha, Gratuitous Fight for your Life, see you soon!


	16. Gratuitous Fight for your Life

Gratuitous Fight for your Life

The dog demon lord sliced open the much larger demon's chest and he landed gracefully next to its now still corpse. He stared at its remains for a moment then proceeded into the woods. The thought of being so easily tricked by a mortal mad him angry and he had since then been training so next time he wouldn't be so hesitant to kill his target. A small bat demon jumped out of a tree and lunged at his neck but he swiftly sliced it into two halves.

"How can I come to kill my own brother if I can't even kill a mere mortal." He pondered to himself.

The thought of his brother soon left him and he continued his journey through the woods.

"What shall I do now…?" He quieted as he came to a small clearing where he saw Jaken sitting at his post still watching on Rin. She was busy eating some fruit that she had picked herself. Immediately she sat up and ran to Sesshomaru.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" She chirped. She stopped two feet before him and held out some fruit. "I picked some fruit! Would you like some?"

"Rin, I don't eat human food."

"Yes my lord!" She gave the remaining fruit to Ah Un.

Jaken then stood up and he looked at Sesshomaru and had a serious look on his face. "What now my lord?"

"I want to head back to that village." Sesshomaru stated as he turned around and started heading in the direction where they had come from a few days earlier. "This time I will get past anyone without hesitation." He stopped for a moment and turned his head slightly at Jaken. "I want you to watch on Rin while I'm gone."

"But wait! I want to go with you my lord!"

"Didn't you get knocked out last time…?" Sesshomaru reminded him calmly as he continued to head towards the village.

Two boys were digging through the rummage that one was a small village. The older of the two boys was hastily digging up anything and everything. Small bits of rubble flew up into the air and the younger boy had to keep on dodging it.

"Kazuki, what are we looking for?" Kohaku questioned as he dodged a large piece of wood.

"Well…" Kazuki started. He stopped and picked up an even larger piece of wood and studied it. Then he carelessly through it behind him and he continued. "Since we finished training early…" He threw a wagon wheel behind him. "I wanted to get something back of mine."

Kohaku had to duck when the wheel came at him like a Frisbee. "That doesn't answer my question on what it is."

Kazuki stopped and looked behind him with an annoyed look. "I doubt you'd know what it is…" He began throwing stuff more even quicker into the air. "DAMMIT! WHERE THE FU…HELL IS IT!"

Kohaku jumped out of the way of the oncoming debris and stood in front of Kazuki finally figuring out that he wasn't throwing it that way. "Won't Salali be mad when she finds out you disobeyed orders?"

"Okay, repeat to me what exactly she said…" He continued to dig through the garbage still not finding the item he desired. "DAMMIT I SWEAR THIS GARBAGE HAS MULTIPLIED SINCE THE LAST TIME I'VE BEEN HERE! IT'S LIKE A FRICKEN LANDFILL!" Kazuki growled in frustration.

Kohaku thought for a moment. "Let's see—I remember Salali to go train and then come back at noon."

"Now, what did we do early this morning?"

"Train…"

"And what time is it not."

"Noon…"

"Exactly…DAMMIT WHERE IS IT!" He shouted into the air.

"What does it look like?" Kohaku asked as he randomly started moving stuff out of the way. He moved some rubble out of the way and picked up a red object with two straps on it. It was covered in dirt and some blood. "What's this?"

Kazuki looked at him and immediately snatched the object. "You found it! My backpack!" He sat down and began rummaging through it.

"That's what you were looking for?" Kohaku asked.

"Ya, it has all my shi…crap in it." He stated as he pulled out a fresh pair of underwear. Immediately he shoved the underwear back in the bag. "What all did I pack in here?" He pulled out a smashed candy bar and sniffed it. "It's still good…want it?"

"What _is _it…?" Kohaku asked cautiously. "I'm not sure if I want it…Especially after hearing what you put in that."

Kazuki thought for a moment retracing his conversation. "It's has all my crap…in it. Ha, ha, you're a riot you know that." He tossed it at him. "Just try it. You can eat it on our way back."

Kohaku took a sniff of it. "Okay…thanks."

Kazuki stood up and brushed himself off. "Okay kid, just to make us look tired for the Masters why don't we race back to the castle?"

Kohaku nodded and stood next to Kazuki. "One…"

"Two…"

"Three…"

"GO!" Kazuki shouted.

Kohaku went sprinting off back towards the castle. Kazuki just stood there and started laughing. "I wonder when he'll figure out I'm not with him?" He shrugged and started climbing off a pile of rubble that was once the hut he stayed in. "I think I'll go for a walk for awhile…then I think I'll start giving myself a therapy session on try to figure out why I talk to myself…"

As he started leaving the demolished village a silver-haired demon came out of a forest and into the fields. Immediately Kazuki recognized him and waited for him to come closer. He wanted someone to fight. He needed someone to kill.

When Sesshomaru grew closer to the village he noticed its demise. He saw Kazuki but did not see his brother or any other of his little followers. He walked straight to Kazuki and looked down on him. Kazuki gave him a small smile and shocked the demon when Kazuki pinned him to the ground and pulled out a sword.

Sesshomaru managed to grab the blade of Kazuki's sword before it went through his neck. He tossed the boy off of him. Kazuki landed on his hands and jumped back onto his feet getting into a fighting position.

"That was not smart." Sesshomaru warned.

Kazuki just kept smiling and charged again. Kazuki lifted his sword and stabbed Sesshomaru in the arm. His grin grew wider satisfied when suddenly Sesshomaru let out a soft chuckle and lifted him up by the neck.

"Don't we have a cocky attitude today." Sesshomaru said as he slowly tightened his grip on the young man's throat.

Kazuki grabbed onto Sesshomaru's arm and hand to try and free himself but it was pointless. He glanced down at where he thought he had struck but noticed the sword had started falling out of Sesshomaru's sleeve. It fell out and it was not bloodied at all and it fell easily.

Sesshomaru loosened his grip a little on Kazuki's throat to allow him a little air. "You stabbed my sleeve."

Kazuki glowered and bit his lip. So far this had not turned how he had planned.

"Now—in ten words or less I want you to tell me where my brother is and why this village is destroyed."

"I don't know where he is, and I destroyed it." Kazuki said with a hint of pride in his voice. Sesshomaru gave him an odd look and loosened his grip even more so.

"Say that again…"

Kazuki kicked his legs forward and kicked the demon in the face. Sesshomaru stumbled backwards and Kazuki landed on the ground. "I have no idea where your stupid brother is, but as soon as I find him he's dead. After I kill his friends in front of him of course."

Sesshomaru could taste the blood on his lips. He growled and withdrew his sword. Without saying anything he darted at Kazuki slashing his arm. Kazuki fell back and Sesshomaru pinned his neck down with his foot.

"Where's Kenshin?" Sesshomaru asked angry.

"Probably with Inuyasha…" Kazuki spat. He clawed at Sesshomaru's foot but when he tried Sesshomaru just slammed his foot down to make him lose his breath.

"Why aren't you with them?" Sesshomaru interrogated angrily.

Kazuki struggled a smile and laugh. "Let's see, how often do you travel with your pray?"

"No one kills my brother but me." Sesshomaru growled as he pushed his foot farther and farther down until Kazuki felt like his neck was about to snap. "I'm going to kill you now."

Kazuki clenched his eyes shut and felt around the ground for anything he could use to strike Sesshomaru. He felt something and grabbed it. It was his sword. As Sesshomaru went to slam his foot down one more time Kazuki lifted the sword and stabbed the demons foot.

Sesshomaru snarled in pain and grabbed the sword pulling it out of his foot. It had gone all the way through. He gently massaged his foot trying to ease the pain. Sesshomaru looked at Kazuki who had taken the time to stand up. Kazuki was holding his neck and blood was slowly sliding through his fingers.

"You fool, you stabbed yourself." Sesshomaru growled as he gently placed his foot back on the ground. Sesshomaru sniffed the air slightly. 'Maybe he's possessed. He does smell slightly different but not that much. Still…' Sesshomaru sheathed his sword. "I came here for a fight with Kenshin, not you." He began walking off but he felt a sharp pain in his back.

Kazuki had dug his sword partially into Sesshomaru's back. Trickles of blood were getting absorbed into the demon's white clothes and turning them a pinkish red.

"We're _not_ done yet…" Kazuki panted. He let go of the sword and clenched his neck. Blood was still coming out. He had reopened his wound that he had received sometime ago.

Sesshomaru's eyes grew red and he pulled the sword out. It hadn't gone in to far but far enough that it hurt like hell. He kicked Kazuki to the ground and leaned down next to him.

"I don't know what is wrong with you, but I was going to let you live. But now…" He lifted his sword and held it to Kazuki's heart. He noticed that Kazuki's eyes had shut and he was barely breathing. Sesshomaru frowned. "Never mind, you'll die anyway."

Sesshomaru put the sword down next to him and tore some of his sleeve off. He wrapped up his own foot. It was to hard for him to tend to his back so he just got up and glanced down and the motionless body. "Stupid child. My wounds will heal on their own." He looked at the destroyed village. "There's no one here to help you. Maybe if you're lucky wolves won't eat your body and chew on the bones."

Sesshomaru looked at the motionless body once more before he started walking out of the field and into the forest where he previously came.

The next day Kazuki slowly began waking up. When he woke he was alerted with a bright light. At first he thought for sure he had died but when he opened his eyes further he realized it was just the sun. He was prompt up against a tree nearby the village. He felt as his neck and realized there was cloth on it now. He slowly took it off and studied the cloth. It was a normal piece of cloth. He looked around him some more but there was no one was there. He looked at the cloth again and noticed stuff used for healing herbs on it. The only people he knew that could use healing herbs were Kagome and Kaede. 'Did Kaede do this?' he wondered. 'No she would've taken me with her. It was probably just a passerby.' He found his backpack lying next to him along with his sword.

"Who the hell I wonder…" Kazuki grumbled. He stood up and picked up his stuff. He rubbed his neck a little. It had healed for the most part but it was still a little raw. "I better go back to my master before she gets mad…" Kazuki mumbled as he began walking towards the castle in shame.

Next time on Inuyasha: Kazuki returns to the castle and Naraku is waiting for him; he wants Kazuki to take action. Meanwhile, the group argues over what to do next. What will they do? Next time on Inuyasha, Next Move. See you soon!


	17. Next Move

Next Move

When Kazuki arrived at the castle Naraku was waiting for him at the entrance. Kazuki glared at him and tried walking past but Naraku held his arm out blocking him. Kazuki stood there still glaring. At the moment he was not in the mood to deal with him.

Naraku returned his glares but he still kept his composure. "Where were you, Kohaku said that you were right behind him."

Kazuki shrugged and smiled cockily. "Technically I _was_ behind him. Just not _right_ behind him."

Salali came up behind Kazuki and grabbed his ponytail and yanked him back. "Show respect to your master!" She tossed Kazuki to the ground and she smiled at Naraku. "I hope he wasn't a nuisance master!"

Naraku gave yet another manipulative smile. "Thank you Salali." He brought his attention to the boy slowly raising himself from the ground. "Kazuki, I want you to go and find your _friends_. I think it's time you finished them off."

"Yes _Master_…" Kazuki spat. He began running off and he could hear Salali's voice giving him a word of advice.

Remember to kill Inuyasha last. Naraku will be watching and you better not screw this up.

Kazuki gulped and slowed down his pace a little. He had already gotten a good distance away from the castle. "I…I can't…" He muttered to himself. "I have to destroy Kenshin last. Might as well take my time…no need to meet my end so soon…"

It was already late in the afternoon and a few members of the Inuyasha gang were in a heated battle. Not physically, they were fighting verbally. It was between Inuyasha and Sanosuke over their tactic plans on what they should do now.

"WE NEED TO FIND NARAKU'S CASTLE!" Inuyasha growled.

Sanosuke punched a tree. "What good will that do? I doubt that Naraku guy has Kazuki sitting on his doorstep just waiting for us to pick him up!"

"WHERE ELSE WOULD KAZUKI BE?"

"EVEN IF HE IS THERE IT'S PROBABLY A TRAP!"

"FINE! LET'S NOT EVEN FIND KAZUKI! WHO GIVES A DAMN ANYWAYS?"

Miroku stepped in between the two men before they could start flailing on each other. "Stop it! Arguing won't get us anywhere!"

"Nether will sitting here." Sango added.

Now all four of them had begun to argue exchanging irrelevant insults and verbal attacks. Their voices were become more scratchy and high pitch with each word. After awhile of playing the random insult game it was then time to play the blame game.

"Well if you would've been able to hold him down and not been such a weak human!" Inuyasha accused Sanosuke. "He just might be here with us so we _could_ set our goal for Naraku's castle!"

Sango shot a dirty glare at Inuyasha that could have killed. "A weak human! He's probably stronger then _you _even! Besides, you could have stopped him just as easily!" She crossed her arms and stuck her head up high.

"No offense Sango, but _you _didn't do much to help either." Miroku added offensively. "Floating around on Kirara didn't do us much good now did it?"

Kirara mewed in protest and transformed into her larger form standing by Sango in defense. She flared her fur a little trying to look as intimidating as possible. Letting out a low snarl she arched her back slightly.

"Oh come on monk." Sanosuke said in disgust. "Where was that wind tunnel thing when we needed it? I don't think I remember you using that thing once!"

"I would have sucked you in it!" Miroku snapped. He held his chin and smiled thoughtfully. "Then again would that have been such a bad thing?"

"Oh ya and screw up the future! Wouldn't that be nice?" Inuyasha growled again.

Kagome stood from afar clenching her fists and biting her lip. Their voices only echoed in her head slowly making her angrier. She finally snapped and shouted on the top of her lungs, "SHUT UP ALL OF YOU!"

The group immediately stopped. They were already in fighting positions and Kirara had Inuyasha's head in her mouth. Inuyasha grasped the cat demon's jaw frantically trying to pry it open and eventually she spat him out. He rolled to a nearby tree gasping for air and slobber rolling down his face and his hair.

"She…she tried to eat me!" Inuyasha stuttered as he pointed accusingly at Kirara.

The cat demon transformed back to her smaller form and mewed trying to look as cute and innocent as possible.

Sanosuke slapped his hands over his own mouth and was shaking. The group looked at him funny until they realized he was trying not to laugh. Soon Sango and Miroku joined him but Inuyasha still sat there in disbelief staring at the little cat demon.

Kagome cleared her voice and stood in the center of the group. "Okay! Let's have a vote! I vote we look around for Kazuki!"

"I vote we go to Naraku's castle." Inuyasha snapped.

"Naraku's castle!" Shippo added as he stood near Inuyasha with a hand raised in the air.

"I think we should look around some more." Miroku nodded.

"Same here." Sanosuke added.

"Castle." Sango groaned. She looked at the rest of the group. "Okay, we have a tie, now what?"

"Wait! Kenshin hasn't voted yet!" Sanosuke added. 'Of course Kenshin will want to find Kazuki!' "Hey Kenshin…" Sanosuke swung his head back and forth frantically trying to spot him. "Hey? Where'd he go?"

They could hear a faint voice in the distance. "I don't know what you guys plan on doing but I plan on finding Kazuki that I do."

Sanosuke caught up to Kenshin and stood in his way. "Wait! Kenshin! Do you even know where you're going…?" He stopped when he saw the look in Kenshin's eyes. His eyes were full of anger and determination all at once. He nearly jumped out of his skin when his eyes looked directly at him.

"No…I don't." Kenshin quietly commented. "But I'm more then positive that it's better then sitting around arguing over the matter that I do."

The rest of the group was watching as the two argued. They saw Sanosuke and Kenshin nod at each other then turn their attention back to the others.

"Me and Kenshin are going to look around for Kazuki. You guys go to the castle to see if Kazuki is there and stop Naraku."

"Well that makes sense!" Kagome shouted as the group began to walk started to walk towards the two feudal era men. "I've been here longer then both of you and I can't even go walking out on my own without getting lost!"

Kenshin turned grimly serious as he and Sanosuke began their journey to who knows where. "Kagome…if we do not find Kazuki it will not matter. If we can't find him we will not be able to go home that we won't." Kenshin turned his head and a smile was on his face. "Please don't worry about us. For now just worry about finding Kazuki."

Sanosuke turned his head too and gave a quick wave with his hand. "Whoever finds him first doesn't have to pay for the sake!"

That was the last that Kenshin and Sanosuke saw of the Inuyasha gang for a while. They traveled through thickets of forest, thickets of thickets, and even thick thickets. This time alone away from the safety of the others that knew the time much better then themselves gave Kenshin and Sanosuke a realistic view of the world around them. There wasn't always a beaten path for them to take nor was there any kind of path. Their surroundings were more then unfamiliar, in fact, more of a mystery then anything. There were no cities nearby and the part of the country they were in apparently didn't have any small towns either. Yep the two men were definitely…

"Lost…we are so lost…" Sanosuke groaned as he dragged his feet. He stopped and plopped down on a rock so he could massage his aching feet. "Not that we knew where we were in the first place…Come on Kenshin, just a short break…"

Kenshin sighed and sat against a tree trying to relax. "Just for a few minutes, then we continue." He rotated his head and shoulders a bit and then closed his eyes. It was noon the next day and already it felt like the two had walked for an eternity.

Sanosuke sometime within the last minute had sat upside down his legs hung over the other side of the rock and his head looking at Kenshin upside down. His hair…well, his hair was the same…damn those hair defying haircuts…Sanosuke blew a few strands of stray hairs out of his face and stared intently at his friend. "Kenshin…"

"Yes…" Kenshin said as he slowly opened one of his eyes and quirked up an eyebrow.

"Why are you in such a rush to get to Kazuki?" Sanosuke asked as he rolled over onto his stomach.

Kenshin waited a moment to respond. Sighing he closed his eyes again. "Because I can't wait to see what the end of this is going to bring. Kazuki reminds me of…of…" He let his sentence hang.

Sanosuke nodded realizing what Kenshin meant. He stood up and stretched his arms. "Well, let's get going then."

Kenshin stood up as well and they both walked along a small path. They had walked for a mile when Kenshin started to notice small splotches of dried blood. He nudged at Sanosuke to inform him and he nodded. They followed the blood splotches and soon they turned off the small path and had to follow the smaller splotches. They could soon hear a small brook…and a small demon yelling at another demon. They hid behind some trees and tried to find the source of the noise when they spotted it.

"Lord Sesshomaru are you sure that your wounds are healed now!" Jaken yelped as Sesshomaru worked on renewing the bandage on his foot.

"Jaken…"

"How exactly did this happen to you my lord?"

"Jaken…"

"It must have been a very powerful demon…"

On hitting a sensitive spot Jaken was soon slammed into the tree that Kenshin and Sanosuke were hiding behind. They both slapped each other's mouths shut reinsuring that the other wouldn't scream. Jaken slid to the ground and lifted himself up only to go back to his master's side.

Sanosuke nodded for Kenshin that it was time for them to leave but Kenshin shushed him and continued to listen to the conversation.

"I'm so sorry my lord! Please forgive me!" Jaken yelped begging for forgiveness.

"Fine…" Sesshomaru finished bandaging his foot. "Where is Rin?" He questioned the toad.

"Rin…" Kenshin muttered to himself. Sanosuke eyed him curiously. "I remember the toad demon saying something about a girl…a lover perhaps?" Sanosuke just nodded then stopped when he realized that Kenshin must have some time within the last few days talked to the demon to acquire such information.

"Coming my lord!" Rin chirped as she came frolicking into along the river with some freshly picked flowers.

"That's Rin!" Sanosuke whispered loudly. Kenshin slapped his mouth shut but already it was too late. They didn't even get a chance to see Sesshomaru move from his position. The demon was already behind them with his sword to their backs. Kenshin and Sanosuke held up their arms like they were being arrested and slowly turned around. Sesshomaru finally noticed Kenshin and nearly blew up on him…well, if he wasn't a calm collected demon he would have blown up on them…in a non-literal sense of course.

"Tell me what happened before I decide to kill you." Sesshomaru managed to say in his calm collected kind of way.

Kenshin lowered his arms and blinked. "What would you like to know?"

Sanosuke lowered his arms and looked at Kenshin even more confused. "You know him?"

Sesshomaru ignored Sanosuke and kept his attention at Kenshin. "I want to know what happened to your companion."

Kenshin lowered his eyes at the ground. "Kazuki…"

"If that's his name then yes, that's who I wish for you to tell me of."

Kenshin eyes snapped open and he grabbed onto Sesshomaru's shoulders. "Wait! Did you see him! Which way did he go? Is he all right! Where is he?"

Sesshomaru was rather shocked at Kenshin's sudden enthusiasm but quickly put on a collected front. "I killed him."

Kenshin just stopped. His heart stopped. His breathing stopped. Time had stopped. If he had a watch it would've stopped. Everything stopped. No words could reach his lips.

Sanosuke stood up and he pushed Kenshin out of the way and grabbed Sesshomaru's shoulders. The only difference was that Sanosuke lifted the dog demon off the ground two feet.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" Rin gasped as she grabbed onto Sanosuke's leg hitting it. "Let him go!" Jaken too joined the kicking and the random hitting. He couldn't use his flaming stick of doom because if he did Rin and Sesshomaru would be fried as well.

"Let my lord go!" Jaken screamed as he kicked Sanosuke as hard as he could. Sanosuke getting extremely annoyed kicked the toad to the other side of the river.

"Put me down…" Sesshomaru demanded.

Sanosuke slowly let him go and continued to glare at the demon. "If you didn't have a daughter…"

"_Daughter_?" Sesshomaru yelped losing his cool image. "WE DON'T EVEN _LOOK_ ALIKE!"

"So is she your niece?"

"No…"

Sanosuke blinked at him then became slowly shaky remembering some old fears of his that have been neglected. "Why do you have pointy ears…?" He said shakily.

Kenshin patted Sanosuke on the back and whispered into his ear. "This is Inuyasha's brother…his half brother. He's a full-demon. You can go huddle into a little ball elsewhere and I won't tell. Just please leave so I can talk to him."

Sanosuke started walking away when Sesshomaru looked asked him to take Rin with him. Rin reluctantly left with the mean big _BAD _man.

"So Kazuki is dead…" Kenshin said slowly pronouncing the last word. "What happened?"

Sesshomaru was busy watching Jaken trying to make his way across the river but every time he tried he would just get swept with the current and he had to start over. "He attacked me." He said dryly. "He was at the village where I first met you. At first I wanted to ask for a rematch and I was going to ask him where you were but he attacked me."

"For no reason?" Kenshin questioned.

He nodded. "He said he destroyed that village…and that he was _going_ to destroy you and the others." He shook his head as Jaken came up with a fish on his head and he began running back and forth.

"He's under Naraku's control." Kenshin replied. He looked behind him and noticed where Sesshomaru's main attention was. He shook his head and looked at Sesshomaru. "Is he the one that injured your foot?"

"He was pretty focused on killing me. He managed to get my back…" Sesshomaru looked at his foot and narrowed his eyes. "He stabbed his own neck just to get to my foot. He's probably bled to death now…"

"Probably?" Kenshin stuttered. "You mean…you don't _know_?"

Sesshomaru frowned slightly. "I wouldn't get your hopes up." He looked at Sanosuke and Rin who were playing tag or something. She sure did change her mind about him quickly. "The only way he would've survived is if he had help or if he had a jewel shard."

"He did have a jewel shard!" Kenshin added. He turned towards Sanosuke and cupped his hands around his mouth. "Sanosuke! Kazuki might still be alive! We better go find him!"

Sanosuke had the little girl on his shoulders and put her down. He cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled back. "Good! I'm getting kinda homesick! I actually miss Kaoru and her awful cooking! I even miss Yahiko!"

Rin smiled at Sanosuke. "You'll have to play with me again sometimes! Jaken is no good at games and Lord Sesshomaru never wants to play." She hopped over to Sesshomaru and smiled up at him.

Sesshomaru ignored her presence and continued to talk to Kenshin. "I'm sure that if Kazuki is alive he has probably already moved. I'm guessing he would be after your friends."

Kenshin nodded. "Thank you. I'll keep that in mind…" He looked over at Sanosuke and a sheepish grin came over his face. "Um…where would you think our friends are?"

Sesshomaru sighed and took a small whiff on the air. He pointed in the direction that he could smell his brother and sighed again. "Humans…"

"Thank you again!" Kenshin laughed nervously as he and Sanosuke ran off towards Inuyasha and the others. "We'll have to spar one of these days again!"

Sesshomaru nodded and he began to walk in the opposite direction with Rin at his side. Jaken panicked and he swan hurriedly across the river just as Sanosuke and Kenshin ran across a small bridge.

"We're getting closer…" Inuyasha stated as he and the others were walking on a clear path that if smells were signs would have had Naraku written all over it. "It's almost like he wants us to find him."

"Something tells me this is a trap…" Miroku added suspiciously. He slowly surveyed the area with his eyes. "Nothing seems out of place."

"In fact, everything seems eerily quiet." Sango commented as she startled herself when she stepped on a small twig. She sighed in relief and continued onward.

Shippo in the meantime had taken residence in Kagome's backpack. It was getting dark and he could smell Naraku everywhere. Naraku's smell was so strong he couldn't even smell the chocolate he had been eating nervously.

Kirara had taken her large demon form and her fur was sticking up on end. She walked protectively at Sango's side as they walked down the path to Naraku's castle. She would hiss or snarl at the slightest sound that would disrupt the utter silence of the night.

Kagome stopped and the others soon did too. "Anyone else hear that…" She whispered as she looked about at the dark trees and shadows. "I think I heard something…"

The group stopped to listen but all they could hear was the sound of tin foil unwrapping and then a chewing noise to follow.

"You're just imagining things Kagome." Inuyasha reassured her. "If there were demon's I'd be able to smell them a mile away…" He stopped suddenly when there was a small crackle nearby in the dense creepy looking forest. It was followed by another…and another…and even more crackles.

Then the noise stopped again. The group looked about frantically but nothing showed up. But as soon as they started to walk again swarms of demons came out of the forest and immediately they had to fight.

Sanosuke and Kenshin were making their way through the thick forest. They were forced to cut down and smash anything that got in their way. They trudged on to meet their possessed friend; however, their friend got to them first. Kazuki jumped out of a tree and both men immediately halted to a stop.

Kazuki smiled at them and waved slightly. "Hi guys, how are you this fine evening?"

"Kazuki!" Kenshin shouted. "Stop this nonsense immediately!"

"What? I just said hi?" He put a finger to his chin and smiled. "Hm…Sanosuke…I could just kill you now and get that out of the way."

"What." Sanosuke snapped. "I'd like to see you try. I don't care what kinda powers that stupid shard gave you I could still pummel you if necessary."

"Don't worry. I won't kill you…" He smiled and he began to run towards Naraku's castle. "Yet!"

"AFTER HIM!" Kenshin shouted as he ran after his reincarnation."

Next time on Inuyasha: This is it, the last battle. Who will prevail? Good…or maybe even evil? Will Naraku manage to destroy the group or will the group destroy Naraku? What about Kazuki…will he be able to regain control of his body or will Kenshin have to end his misery. Next time on Inuyasha, The Final Battle. See you soon!


	18. The Final Battle

The Final Battle

"There's way to many of them!" Miroku shouted as he sucked up another dozen demons. "Where the hell are they coming from?" He turned around and was met with more demons. "This is ridiculous!" He growled as he opened up his wind tunnel to suck them up.

"Hey!" Sango snapped as she wrapped her weapon around a tree to keep her from being sucked into oblivious. "Watch where you point that would you!"

"I'm trying!" Miroku shouted as he began sucking up even more demons. "I wouldn't have sucked you in! Don't worry!"

Inuyasha slashed open the throat of one of the larger demons making it collapse to the ground. "It was all a stupid trap!" He slashed with his claws again finishing off the demon.

Kagome flew overhead on Kirara with Shippo. She was shooting demons with her arrows. Unfortunately she would only shoot when one of the others needed help because she only had so many arrows. "Well, at least we know Naraku is nearby!"

Inuyasha continued to slash at some of the larger demons. "For all we know the idiot just put his scent everywhere to make us think he was…" He kicked a smaller demon into the way of Miroku wind tunnel. "…here. It was obviously some sort of set up."

Sango threw her boomerang at a horde of demons, slicing off their heads causing them to immediately drop dead. "Anyone else notice that most of these demons are of the rodent variety?"

A giant rat lifted Inuyasha up. "I hadn't noticed!" He sliced his claws into the rodent's nose making it drop him. On the way down he went for it's heart and killed it.

Kagome looked at some trees a quarter of a mile off and saw that there was something else moving towards them. "Hey guys! There's a lot more coming I think!" She shouted loudly so they could hear her.

"Great, just what I've always wanted." Inuyasha groaned sarcastically as he struggled to kill one of the demons. "All I smell is rodent."

Just then a figure came dashing out of the forest and jumped onto his head then quickly onto a tree. After that figure Kenshin came running out of the forest gasping at the site. Sanosuke followed panting for breath and nearly pissed himself when he saw the horde of demons that stood in front of him.

Kagome glanced down at the figure and gasped. "Kazuki!" She shouted.

Kazuki glanced up at her and smiled. "So that's where you were. I kind of figured you wouldn't actually be fighting with the others. I'm guessing Shippo is up there too?"

"Hey! I could fight if I wanted to!" Shippo growled as he threw a rock down at him.

Kazuki easily dodged it and snickered. "I'm guessing that you just don't want to then?" He stopped and pondered for a moment. "You know…if you two could actually fend for yourselves you could put Kirara to some actual use by letting her fight."

Inuyasha glared at him and began shouting at him while he fought for his life. "Shuddap! Kagome probably a better fighter then you actually are! If you didn't have that jewel shard you'd just be a weak human!"

"That's not true!" Kazuki screamed. "I don't need this stupid jewel shard!" He drew out his sword and held it firmly in his hand. "Hear! I'll show you!" He dug the sword lightly into his back and the jewel shard lightly fell to the ground landing in some bushes. He smiled at them while putting his sword back into his sheath. "There? Happy…" He staggered a bit and then fell out of the tree.

Sanosuke hurriedly made his way through the crowd of demons and barely caught the boy. He held him in his arms and sighed. He stopped when he heard laughing. His eyes went wide when he felt something sharp go deep into his back. He fell to the ground and Kazuki jumped out of his arms.

"That was just too easy!" Kazuki laughed. "Now how would you like to die...?"

He was pushed to the ground and pinned with Sango's boomerang. She dug the boomerang into the ground in attempt to secure his pin. He violently thrashed his legs in the air but Sango managed to keep him firmly pinned. Kenshin rushed to Sanosuke's aid before any demons could tear him to shreds.

"Kazuki! Stop this now!" She shouted trying to get through to him. "Why aren't you going back to normal? The jewel shard is out! You should be going back to normal!"

Kagome knew why this disturbed Sango. If the jewel shard had nothing to do with the possession then that would mean that helping Kohaku would be almost futile.

Kazuki started to laugh and kicked her off. He struggled to take to boomerang out of the ground but he managed to and he picked it up. "You idiot. I'm doing this by choice…" He lifted the boomerang above her head while she was on the ground. "I guess you'll be the first…" He stopped to hold onto a tree when he was suddenly being sucked into Miroku's wind tunnel. Miroku stopped as soon as Sango was closer to him and farther away from Kazuki.

"Kazuki somehow or another you're being manipulated!" Miroku shouted. "You only think that you're doing this by choice."

"I know exactly what I'm doing!" Kazuki shouted back. He pulled out his sword and ran at Miroku. Kazuki managed to slice Miroku's shoulder barely.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome shouted. "I'm going to find Naraku!" She ordered Kirara to take her to the castle and she obeyed. Soon Kagome, Shippo, and Kirara were heading towards Naraku's castle.

"Wait!" Inuyasha screamed. "Kagome! Just wait a moment! Don't be stupid and go on your own!" Inuyasha finished off the demon he was currently fighting and immediately started to follow behind and below the cat demon. "Finish off the demons guys and figure out how to save Kazuki before I have any say on what happens to him!"

"Now where was I…?" Kazuki pondered for a moment. He looked around curiously. "It seems you've killed all of those damn rodents. So I guess I'll have to be your entertainment for the evening."

Sanosuke stood up and frowned. "I wouldn't exactly call you entertaining." He held his back in pain. "What exactly is your fetish with stabbing people in the back? You've stabbed the villagers in the back. You've stabbed Kenshin in the back. You've stabbed Sesshomaru in the back. You've stabbed me in the back. You've even stabbed yourself in the back!"

Kenshin nodded. "And in a some sense you've stabbed everyone in the back." The expression on his face changed from serious to extremely sad. "Kazuki, what is wrong with you? Is this what you really want?"

Kazuki stopped and stood in a position like he actually had to think about it. "Hm—Let me think…YEP!" He charged at Sango again but she dodged and kicked him in the side.

Sango frowned at him and tossed her hair back. "You're outnumbered. It's four to one."

Kazuki smiled at her. "But that's the nice thing. You see, I have no emotional attachment to you." He brushed himself off. "You and Miroku could never bring yourself to kill a young man like myself, none-the-less a human young man. As for Kenshin and Sanosuke they need me to go home. I'm sure that has some value to them." He laughed. He started to circle them and his body seemed to disappear. He was ridiculously fast even without the jewel shard.

Salali of course was nearby at a safe distance frowning. "Dammit, I bet he will die soon. With how powerful he's gotten he must be at the brink of death. He better get this job done quick or Naraku will be most displeased." She smiled at herself. "I better go check up on Naraku." She sighed dreamily. "Though I doubt someone as powerful as Naraku would have any problem defeating a half-breed, a baby kitsune, and some human girl." She spat at the ground and frowned. And a cat demon…" She groaned. She left towards the castle to make sure that the group hadn't caused too much trouble for her master.

The group had finally arrived at the castle and Kirara had landed. The castle was completely unguarded. The night sky gave it an ominous look. Not that it mattered anyways. Naraku's dark aura was everywhere along with his scent. Inuyasha had managed to catch up with the group and he frowned at Kagome.

"Kagome! How stupid can you be?" Inuyasha snapped as he took a few steps closer to her.

"I just was just trying to help!" Kagome retorted. She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. "I wasn't just going to sit there and watch!"

"Feh! Whatever!" Inuyasha spat. He took a look at the castle and frowned at it. "You stay here while I go in." He looked at Shippo and Kirara sternly. "You two watch on Kagome." He started to walk in but stopped when a familiar hand grabbed his shoulder. He turned around to see Kagome with tears beginning to well up in her eyes.

"Am I really that useless?" She said with a quaky voice. She looked down closing her eyes trying to keep the tears from escaping. "I know I'm not a demon like You, Shippo, and Kirara. And I'm definitely not as strong as Sango and Miroku." She looked up opening her eyes. "But am I really that useless?"

"Kagome…" Inuyasha whispered thoughtfully. "I…I…I didn't mean…" He stopped and looked at her with sadness in his eyes. He shook his head violently and began charging into the castle. "I need to get going! Stay here!" He disappeared into the thick mist surrounding the castle.

Kagome stood there staring after him. The tears had stopped coming. She held a clenched fist to her chest and sighed. "Inuyasha…"

Shippo jumped onto her shoulder and looked at her curiously. "You know…if I'm supposed to watch on you…and if I went into the castle…" He smiled at her.

She smiled slightly. The look on her face changed from sorrowful to determined. "Right Shippo!" She started to head after Inuyasha but stopped. "Oh ya!" She turned around and smiled embarrassed. "If you stay here and keep guard Kirara I'll get you lots of catnip!"

"MROW!" Kirara meowed excitedly. It sounded more like a roar though because she was in her larger form. She paced back and forth in front of the castle entrance watching out for intruders and anything else that would pose a threat.

"Thanks Kirara!" Kagome said happily as she ran into the castle while the little fox sat on her shoulder waving back.

When Kagome disappeared into the depths of the castle Kirara let out a sigh and sat down with a thud in front of the castle entrance. She sat up quickly when there was a sudden rustle in some bushes. Her ears perked up and her pupils became thinner. She let out a soft growl and slowly crept towards it. When she was right next to the bush she sniffed it cautiously. A rat sprang out of the bushes and latched itself to her face. She snarled and charged about the front of the castle trying to fling the small creature off her face. She finally managed to whack it off with a quick swat of her paw. The rat landed a few feet away. When it managed to get back up it quickly sprinted into the forest. Being the cat demon Kirara is she sprinted right after it.

Salali jumped down from a tree and smiled as she watched the cat demon chase her minion. "How typical of a one-tracked mind cat." She chuckled to herself. "Now…to go check up on my beloved Naraku…" She let out a dreamy sigh and casually walked into the castle.

The group had been fighting for sometime with Kazuki. They group had surrounded Kazuki. Each of them held their weapon ready to strike if he tried anything. Kazuki looked about the circle looking for weak point.

"Aren't you getting tired Sanosuke?" Kazuki taunted. He directed his attention towards him. He smiled and snickered. "You sure have bled a lot."

Sanosuke smirked at him. "Hardly even noticed the pain in my back." This was a lie of course. Though Kazuki didn't dig the sword too deeply in his back it still hurt like hell. "Feels better in fact." He commented sarcastically.

"Right…" Kazuki said knowing that he was lying. He shook his head smiling. "Whatever, you're still the weakest right now."

After saying that he knocked Sanosuke out with a single hit to the face. Miroku took the time to try and hit Kazuki in the back of the head with his staff. Before he could make contact with this skull Kazuki grabbed it and smiled. He tossed it to the side and unsheathed his sword once more.

Sango withdrew her short sword and growled, "Kazuki! Stop this at once!"

Kazuki didn't reply. He sat there for a moment debating on his next move. It was either hurry and finish off Sanosuke or try to knock out one of his other opponents. Kenshin didn't give him a chance to reply and hit him in the back of his neck with the dull side of his blade. Kazuki tumbled to the ground and didn't move.

Miroku snatched his staff and looked down at the unmoving body. "Is he dead?"

Sango rolled him onto his back and saw he was still breathing just fine. She let out a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness." She looked up at Kenshin in disbelief. "I thought you actually killed him for a moment."

"So did I…" Kenshin said sorrowfully. "I thought I did for a second…"

Kazuki stabbed Sango in the back and she fell to the ground. He withdrew his blade and jumped back a few feet away from his last two opponents.

"Sango!" Miroku shouted. He went to her side and looked into her eyes. "Are you okay?"

She nodded. "I'll be okay…" She made a slight grunting noise but then she fell unconscious.

Kazuki held his sides in laughter. "You guys are way to sympathetic! How many times have I pulled that trick on you guys?" He had to lean against a tree for support. "If I wasn't laughing so hard I could've killed Miroku on the spot." He quieted his laughing and looked at Miroku with content. "Lucky for Sango I can never seem to kill my enemy on the first strike."

Kenshin clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. "Miroku…" He seethed.

"What…?" Miroku asked with caution.

"Get Sanosuke and Sango out of here..."

Miroku normally would've complained but the look on Kenshin's face stopped him from doing so. He only nodded and picked up Sango. He looked at Sanosuke who was slowly regaining conscious. Kazuki still wasn't strong enough for him to keep his opponents down. He walked over to Sanosuke and let him lean on him. He quickly glanced back at Kazuki and Kenshin who were engulfed in a staring contest. He then ran off to where he might find Inuyasha and Kagome.

Inuyasha walked down the narrow halls in complete darkness. There was no lighting of any sort. The castle was cold and damp. It felt as if nothing could possibly live there—his nose begged to differ. He could smell Naraku scent as he lurked closer and closer. He almost slowed down his steps. This was it; it was now or never. Either he defeated Naraku or he would die at Naraku's hand. He shuddered at the thought. His steps slowed down even more. Naraku must know that he was there. It would be rather shocking if he were to walk up to Naraku and he were to act surprised.

"There's no turning back…" Inuyasha muttered. He looked up at ceiling and watched every beam as it passed overhead. "Though I do wish I could at least tell her…"

Thump

He lost his train of though and froze.

Thump Thump

Whatever it was it was running.

Thump Thump Thump

And getting louder

Thump Thump Thump Thump

And closer.

He turned around and screamed. It screamed back.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

He grabbed his chest and clenched his teeth. It felt like he was going to have a heart attack. He grabbed Kagome's shoulders and shook her violently. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!"

"HEY!" Shippo growled. "I was sitting on that!" He jumped up and kicked Inuyasha's hand. When Inuyasha withdrew his hand Shippo sat back down and stuck out his tongue.

"Shippo! I told you to watch on her!" Inuyasha snapped. He gave the fox a quick whack on the head.

"Hey! Don't hit him!" Kagome shouted. "If you need to hit someone hit me! IT WAS MY FAULT!"

Inuyasha snapped his mouth shut and looked down at his feet. "Sorry…" He started to walk towards the end of the dark hall. He turned back and saw that Kagome wasn't following. "Hey! If you're gonna follow, follow! Just don't go getting in my way. And don't expect me to go jumping in Naraku's way when he tries killing you."

Kagome jogged up to him and frowned. "Fine, then don't go expecting me to jump in harms way when he's tries killing you!"

"FINE!"

"FINE!"

"FINE!" Shippo added.

Inuyasha let out a deep sigh and once again commenced his way to wherever Naraku might be. "Let's go…"

Kenshin switched the blade on his sword and got into a fighting position. "Kazuki…I was really hoping it wouldn't come down to this." He looked down and closed his eyes. "I really don't want to do this…but I can't let you kill everyone."

"Kenshin I don't want to fight you yet!" Kazuki shouted. He turned on his heels and started to dart after the others. Kenshin ran in front of him and gutted him with the handle of his sword.

"I'm not giving you a choice!"

Kazuki jumped up and spat up some blood. "Get out of my way!" He snarled.

"No!"

"Fine! I'll just knock you out!" Kazuki stated cockily. He charged with his sword ready to stab Kenshin.

"I'd like to see you try…" Kenshin scoffed. He easily blocked the strike and managed to get in a slash to Kazuki's chest.

Kazuki fell back and held onto his chest. He looked down in shock as the blood slowly dribbled down his stomach.

"You actually struck me!" He said in shock. Before he knew what was coming Kenshin pushed him back into a tree and held his blade to his throat.

"Either stop this nonsense or I'll slice your throat open!" Kenshin threatened. His voice remained somewhat collected but there was a slight strain to it.

Kazuki smiled at him and closed his eyes while in thought. "If I don't you'll kill me…"

Kenshin didn't move but kept his sword firm to his neck.

"But…then again…" His eyes opened. "I'm going to die either way...I'm sorry, but I'm not going to stop."

Kenshin heaved the blade of his sword forward.

"This is it…" Inuyasha muttered.

They stood in front of an ominous door at the very end of the hall. He could smell that deep inside it stood Naraku. Inuyasha's hands shook in fear. His face remained calm though.

"Wait here Kagome…" Inuyasha gulped.

A hand wrapped around his and he stopped shaking. He looked up at Kagome and she gave him a look of concern. Kagome looked back at Shippo.

"Please go check on Kirara, she must be lonely out there." She ordered.

Shippo nodded and sprinted down the hall towards the entrance. Now it was just Kagome and Inuyasha in the dreary hallway. Kagome tightened the grip on his hand.

"I'm going with you." She stated. "I can't just wait here like some idiot."

Inuyasha hand stopped trembling and he let his hand escape hers. "Just stay here…I won't let anything happen to you."

He knocked down the door with his foot and left her standing there. Inside he could see Naraku in his white attire. Inuyasha growled softly and inched closer to him.

"Hello Inuyasha." Naraku said. "I thought that Kazuki would've killed you by now." He continued to sit there calmly. Inuyasha's presence didn't bother him the least.

"Take your spell off Kazuki!" Inuyasha screamed. "He has nothing to do with us!"

"I've told you once already…I meant to have the spell cast on that wench you hang around."

"Her name is Kagome…" Inuyasha hissed. He withdrew his sword and pointed it at Naraku. "You'll regret harming any of my friends."

"I don't think so." Naraku corrected. He stood up and smiled. "I bet all of your friends are dead now." He rested his cheek against his fist. "That human boy is much stronger than I would've expected."

"I'm tired of your yapping!" Inuyasha growled as he charged at Naraku.

Naraku laughed and easily dodged his attack. Inuyasha reflected himself off the wall and charged again, still no use.

"My, my, have we gotten weaker Inuyasha?" Naraku taunted. His arm turned into a tentacle and snatched at Inuyasha's neck. Inuyasha barely managed to roll to the side. "Hold still would you?"

"Feh!" Inuyasha slashed his sword and the tentacle and it fell to the ground. It squirmed for a few moments before it became motionless. "That's more like it."

"I never was fond of that arm anyways." Naraku said boringly.

Inuyasha smirked and jumped into the air. "Yes, you did seem unattached." He swooped down at Naraku but only managed to get some of Naraku's baboon cloak.

Naraku swung his other arm at Inuyasha and sent him flying into the wall. It cracked slightly and he indented it. Inuyasha tried getting up but his pants had caught on some broke wood.

Naraku smiled with pleasure. "It appears you're stuck…" He started taking small steps towards the dog demon. "A sad way to go out…" Naraku pulled out a dagger from his cloak. "But a way to go out none-the-less. Just be glad you're going to see your friends very soon…"

Blood dripped off of Kenshin's sword and onto the ground. They were the first drops of blood the sword had come in contact with for sometime. Kenshin glowered at Kazuki. The boy snatched onto the sword with his hand and it had sliced his hand open. Kazuki had a look of sheer horror on his face. He didn't think that Kenshin would actually try to kill him. He pushed Kenshin back and ran a safe distance so he could try and regain his poseur. He squeezed his hand in pain as it bled. Without the shard he could now feel pain.

Kenshin frowned. "Kazuki…just stop…please don't make me do this."

"Never!" Kazuki spat. He ignored the pain and charged at Kenshin with his sword.

Their blades met and let out a loud clang. Kazuki's sword went flying out of his hand and lodged itself into a tree. Kazuki grunted and look at his surroundings. There was nothing else he could fight with so he ran for his sword. Kenshin saw this and stopped him by standing in his way. Kazuki fell to the ground and kicked Kenshin's legs from beneath him. Kenshin fell to the ground and landed with a loud thud. Kazuki snatched for his sword but Kenshin kept a firm grip on it.

"GIMME THE DAMN SWORD!" Kazuki demanded.

"If I do that you will go off and kill the others!" Kenshin growled. "Let go!"

"So you can finish me off?" Kazuki asked surprised. "If I'm going to die it's because I've killed you!"

The sword went flying out of both of their hands and it went flying into the same tree as the other sword. Both Kazuki and Kenshin froze for a moment. Kenshin kicked Kazuki off of him and pinned him to the ground. Kazuki struggled beneath the man. Unfortunately for Kenshin Kazuki was bigger in size and easily overturned the man onto his back. Kazuki wrapped his hands around the man's slender throat and tightened his grip greatly.

"Just die…please just die…" Kazuki muttered. Kenshin would've retorted but he couldn't breathe.

The blood from Kazuki's hand dripped all over Kenshin's neck. The boy was becoming lightheaded from severe blood loss. Without the jewel shards he could feel his mortal limitations. For a second he became greatly lightheaded and fell over. Kenshin ran over to the tree and snatched his sword. He walked over to Kazuki who was struggling to stand up.

"I'm going to kill you!" Kazuki screamed. "Every last one of you!" He tried to push himself up but he fell into the dirt. He slowly raised himself. "I have to kill you…"

Kenshin looked down at the boy in pity. He was in a great state of pain, both of them, Kazuki physically and Kenshin mentally. Kenshin had to ask one more time.

"Kazuki…please stop this madness…"

"No…" Kazuki growled.

Naraku was now a few feet away from Inuyasha and laughing. "This is so pathetic."

"Dammit!" Inuyasha growled as he struggled to free himself from the wooden beams. "I'm not going to die this way!"

"We'll see…" Naraku laughed he charged at the defenseless Inuyasha.

Kagome watched in the doorway with horror. She had to act fast, anything to give Inuyasha more time. She snatched an arrow from her backpack and quickly put it to the bow.

"One shot…" She muttered.

She released the arrow.

"One shot!" She shouted.

Naraku turned just in time to see the arrow coming straight for him. He didn't have anytime to react and stood there motionless as it came flaring through the air in a beam of light.

Salali jumped in the way and fell to the wooden ground making an echo against the floor.

"YOU IDIOT!" Naraku shouted. He took his attention off of Inuyasha and over to Salali's limp body. "Great…now she's dead."

"SO ARE YOU!" Inuyasha snarled as he charged at Naraku. He grabbed his sword and dug it into the spider demon's back. The demon's cloak was torn to shreds. By the time Inuyasha was done withdrawing his sword there was nothing left—Except a doll.

"Goodnight Kazuki…" Kenshin said as he stood above his reincarnation.

The boy gasped at the pain that soared through his entire body at that exact moment. He slowly closed his eyes and Kenshin was the last thing he saw before he faded into darkness.


	19. Kazuki

Kazuki

"Right this way Mr. Riroshi." A woman said as she walked an older middle-aged man through the building.

"Thank you Miss." The man said smiling. He was a man of the shorter variety. He was bald on the top of his head and he had long smooth dark brown facial hair. It was starting to turn gray but still kept rather nicely.

The woman led him into a room where young children were playing. There were different assortments of toys scattered against the room. The man looked down at his foot, which was currently being attacked by an RC car. He laughed jovially at the young boy who came over to retrieve his lost toy. He laughed again.

"Why may I ask do you wish to adopt sir?"

"Well, you see, my only son was recently killed in a car accident."

"You mean the one with the drunk driver?" The woman questioned.

He looked at her and nodded. "Yes…but the one with the drunk driver isn't very specific. But yes there was a drunk driver involved." The man looked at some children playing on an indoor slide. "That drunk man somehow managed to hit two cars and even managed to kill the people in both cars. One car had my son and his wife…and my grandson…he was three…they never did find the remains of the drunk man…"

"I'm very sorry for your lost." The woman said sympathetically. "The other car had a man and a woman in it too right?"

He nodded.

"Too bad that their son was left with no one."

"Their son?" The man blinked.

"Yes, the two other people, they had a son. He's right over there." She pointed to a boy sitting in the corner by himself playing with a ball.

"Doesn't he have any relatives?"

The woman shook her head. "No, his grandparents are dead and both his parents were only children…well, at least that's what I thought I heard. The thing is he didn't have anyone to go to…sir?"

The elderly man walked over to the boy and knelt down to him. The boy looked up with his bright violet eyes confused. He scooted back slightly and dragged his ball with him. Mr. Riroshi chuckled softly. The boy blinked then puffed out his cheeks fuming.

"What's your name young man?"

"Ima…"

"Ima?"

"Ima Poophead"

"I'm a poop head…" He stopped for a moment and stared at the small child who was grinning from ear to ear. "You little…"

The boy grabbed his ball and ran to another corner of the room before the man could finish his sentence. The woman ran over and immediately began to apologize.

"I'm so sorry Mr. Riroshi!" She bowed in apology. "He's not exactly the most sociable young man." She looked over at the boy in pity. "He isn't getting along with any of the other children."

"Can I adopt him?"

"What?"

"Can I adopt him? What else would I be here for?" Riroshi snapped jokingly. "I didn't come here check one out for a few days then return it." He looked over at the boy. "He's a peculiar looking boy as well." He noted.

"Yes, red hair and violet eyes aren't exactly a common site."

"Well, I want to adopt him. What's his name?"

"Kazuki…"

Later that week… 

"Well Kazuki this is it!" Mr. Riroshi said as he opened his apartment door.

The boy stepped into the apartment. The first thing they walked into was a small kitchen. There was a small room across from the kitchen that was to be his new room. Kazuki quickly scurried into the room past the kitchen, which was a living room. Along the walls of the living room was a wide assortment of swords. Each one had a unique design to it. Kazuki stood in awe and watched the walls with wide eyes as Mr. Riroshi shut the door behind him. He set down the box of Kazuki's stuff on the ground.

"So you like them 'eh?" Mr. Riroshi said while stroking his fine beard. "Maybe I'll teach you when you're older. I used to be quite the swordsmen back in my day."

Kazuki looked at Mr. Riroshi confused. "How old are you Mr. Riroshi?" He opened up the box of his things and pulled out the ball he had played with before.

Mr. Riroshi was startled by the boy's bluntness. He laughed awkwardly. "That's rude to ask but I'm 55. That's quite abrupt for a four year old." He smiled at the boy and picked up the box. "Please call me anything but Mr. Riroshi. Now let me show you to your new room."

"Kay…" Kazuki said as he bounced his ball. "Can…I call you poop head?"

"No…"

"Okay…" Kazuki blinked again.

The man got done putting some of the things away in the room and walked back out. "First things first—haircut."

The boy's eyes went wide with horror and he grabbed onto his precious ponytail. "NO!" He ran past Riroshi and darted himself under the bed.

"That was pretty quick scamp." He looked under the bed and Kazuki came dashing out. "Okay okay! I won't give you a haircut! But you got to do me one favor though."

"And that is…" Kazuki asked while peering out behind the couch.

"Call me Dad…"

Three Years Later… 

A Kazuki now at the age of seven peered out of the window of his apartment and carefully watched like a hawk as his new neighbors moved in. He kept a close eye on everything and anything that went past his window.

Ring

Kazuki fell off his bed and did a face plant onto the floor. He lifted his face and picked himself up. He quickly ran over to the door and opened it suddenly fuming.

The woman on the other side jumped a little. She had dark brown hair and chocolate colored eyes. She smiled gently and went down eye level to Kazuki. "Hi there, are your parents home?"

Kazuki puffed out his cheeks and turned his head. "DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD! It's for you!"

The woman covered her ears but smiled. Mr. Riroshi came stumbling in and sighed when he saw that no one was hurt. He walked over to the woman and smiled.

"Good evening, what can I do for you?"

"Um, well you see I just moved in next door." He pointed at the apartment right next to them. "I just came to say hi to my new neighbor." She bowed. "My name is Mrs. Kitakawa."

"Well, it's nice to meet you Mrs. Kitakawa." Mr. Riroshi bowed. "I'm Mr. Riroshi. This young fellow is Kazuki." He elbowed Kazuki gently and Kazuki forced a smile.

A man came tumbling up the stairs.

"Ow…" The man said rubbing his rear. "That smarts…" He glanced down the stairs. "Well…that's the first time I've fallen up the stairs."

A boy of eleven came up the stairs carrying a box. He had messy black hair and was wearing shorts and a white T-shirt. He set the box down and shook his head at his dad. "This is why I made you carry the couch cushions."

The dad frowned and narrowed his eyes. "And why are the couch cushions in a box?" 

The boy picked up his own box and headed into the apartment. "So you had something to carry."

The man let out a sigh and sat down on the box. There was a slight tearing noise and the man fell through the top and onto the cushions. He let out yet another exasperated sigh.

The woman laughed nervously and ushered her hands towards her husband. "This is my husband, Mr. Kitakawa." She then ushered to Mr. Riroshi with her hand. "Honey, this is Mr. Riroshi and Kazuki."

Mr. Kitakawa smiled and sat up. He picked up the box and while walking to their new apartment he yelled back. "It's very nice to meet you both…"

Mr. Kitakawa had stumbled through the door and they could hear various clanging noises.

Mr. Riroshi let out a soft chuckle and smiled. "Well, it's very nice meeting your entire family…"

Three Years Later… 

"Kazuki, your father didn't want you home alone so before he left for the hospital he asked for us to take care of you until you're back." Mrs. Kitakawa explained as she gathered some of Kazuki's clothes.

Kazuki, now at age ten, helped her and tried to force a smile but it didn't last very long. "What's appendicitis?" He asked worryingly. "Dad's not gonna die is he?"

She finished putting Kazuki's clothes in a laundry box and ruffled his hair. "Of course not, they're just going to remove his appendix. Don't worry, he'll be just fine." She ruffled his hair some more. "You need a hair cut you know that? How about we go to the barbershop this afternoon? How does that sound?"

"Oh yes! And afterwards let's all go get STDs!" Kazuki shouted dryly.

Mrs. Kitakawa frowned at him. "That's not funny and you _are _getting a haircut. You're starting to look like a little girl!" She grabbed his hair lightly. "How long has it been…I know I've never seen you with short hair." She started to braid it. "If you're going to look like a little girl…" She ruffled his hair again. "I'm just kidding—I won't braid it." She frowned again. "But really dear, you were adopted at…4? Yes, four. So it's been six years…Honey your hair is 20 inches long! You're getting it cut!"

Kazuki grabbed the laundry basket and ran. "It's only 18 inches long! You ain't touchin' it!"

Mrs. Kitakawa sighed and snapped her fingers, "So close…" She threw some more of Kazuki's things into a laundry basket and headed back to her apartment.

Meanwhile Kazuki was already making himself comfortable in Kisho's room. Little did he know that eyes were watching him from above. A chill went down Kazuki's spine and he turned to where he thought eyes were watching him—he saw nothing.

"BOO!" Someone shouted from behind him.

Kazuki jumped and fell to the ground with a thud. He glared while Kisho continued to point and laugh. Kazuki growled lightly and stood up continuing to glare.

Kisho laughter finally started to subside and his eyes met the harsh gaze of Kazuki's. "Staring at me isn't going to make me blow-up twerp." He flicked Kazuki on the nose and continued to laugh.

"WHAT THE FU…"

"KAZUKI RIROSHI YOU FINISH THAT WORD AND I'LL _SHAVE_ YOUR HEAD!" Mrs. Kitakawa shouted.

"Hell…" Kazuki finished.

Kazuki laid his stuff on the guest bed that they had put in Kisho's room. It was located right under Kisho's loft bed where he had been spying from earlier. Kisho's room was a pretty dull room. Mrs. Kitakawa took away his decorating privileges after an incident last year where Kisho had put up some dirty posters that he had received from a friend. Now the walls were ordinary white and the carpet was an ordinary wood floor. He was already familiar with the Kitakawa house though. He would stay there when his dad was at work. Mr. Riroshi was a teacher; he taught students how to use swords and some basic fighting mechanisms. Unfortunately for Kazuki Mr. Riroshi refused to teach Kazuki anything until he was a tad bit older or showed more maturity.

"Hey Kazuki!" Kisho said to get his attention. "Wanna see what I got for my birthday?"

Kisho lead Kazuki out to their garage beneath the apartments and opened the garage door. He walked to the back of the garage to where there was a tarp draped over something. Kisho snatched onto the edge of the drape and yanked it off like a magician.

"And here we have my new ride!" Kisho bragged.

"No…way…that's your dad's…"

"Correction—_was_ my dad's." Kisho continued to brag. He sat upon the motorcycle he had revealed moments before and leaned back on it. "See…big high-schoolers like myself get big toys like this; whereas little…well…whatever grade your in people like yourself barely can ride a bicycle by themselves."

"Oh ya…!" Kazuki snapped. He inched closer to the bike. "Looks like a piece of junk to me…"

He kicked the bike leaving a huge dent.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO…" Kisho wailed.

**Later that night…**

Thump…Thump…

Kazuki opens one eye.

Silence…

Kazuki closes his eye.

Rattle…Rattle…Click…

Kazuki's eyes snap open.

Creak…Thump…Thump…

Kazuki sits up and swings his feet over the bed.

Clang…random curse…

"What the fu…heck…" Kazuki muttered. He jumped up off the bed and peered out the doorway. There was nothing out in the hallway and not a thing was out of place.

Thump…Thump…Click…Creak…

"Wait?"

Thump…Thump…

"That noise was coming from my place…" Kazuki mutters as he went out into the hallway with nothing but a T-shirt and sweatpants.

Thump…Thump…

Kazuki opened up the door to the Kitakawa's apartment and walked out onto the balcony.

Creak…

Kazuki peaks over the balcony only to see someone peaking into the Kitakawa's garage.

"HEY YOU DOWN THERE WITH THE UGLY FACE!" Kazuki screams. He jumps onto the balcony railing but loses his grip. He falls down right onto the garage door. Luckily he was able to grab onto the very top edge of the door causing it to slam onto the burglar's head.

"HOLY CRAP I KILLED HIM!" Kazuki yelped as he landed onto the ground with a thud.

"You…wish…" The burglar grumbled. He easily lifted the garage door off of him and somehow even threw into the garage. The burglar was wearing a ski mask and black clothes so Kazuki wasn't able to recognize him. He picked up Kazuki and held a blade to the poor kid's neck. "Now…where's Riroshi."

There was a loud slam and Kazuki could hear Mr. Kitakawa's voice. "What the hell? Who's out here?"

"I'll be back kid…when you least expect it…" The man taunted. His voice sent chills down Kazuki's spine and he hit the ground with a thud only to be knocked out cold.

The Next Day… 

Kazuki had various band-aids on him and some bandages on his head. He was sitting on the counter in his own apartment while the police checked things out. He swung his legs back and forth while the police fingered printed anything and everything to try and get fingerprints.

A policeman walked in and shook his head in dismay. "We couldn't find any fingerprints Ma'am." He said to Mrs. Kitakawa who was behind Kazuki gently rubbing his back. "We couldn't find anything."

"That's so odd—what did they take?" She asked.

"That's the weirder part Ma'am. They didn't take anything." The man turned to Kazuki and held onto his shoulder. "Can you tell us anything that happened?" When Kazuki didn't say anything he turned to Mrs. Kitakawa and asked. "Does he have head trauma?"

Mrs. Kitakawa shook her head. "No, he just doesn't deal with stress well." She gave Kazuki a gentle smile. "Go on, tell them what you saw."

"What did he look like son?" The policemen asked.

"I don't know…he had on a mask." Kazuki grumbled.

"I see…" The policemen muttered. He stood up and ushered Mrs. Kitakawa out of the room. When they were out of hearing range he frowned. "I think the kid does know something. This kind of thing can be really damaging thing on a kid. From all the scratches and stuff I think the man did hurt him so maybe he's in a bit of shock." He patted her on the back. "If you could try and get some stuff out of him okay? You're a psychologist right?"

"Yes…but I don't really want to interrogate him." Mrs. Kitakawa muttered. "Let's drop the subject. I'll try and get something out of him that might help. Though if you want my opinion I think it was just a common thief."

"Maybe…" The police officer muttered doubtfully. "…Though Mr. Riroshi has plenty of antique swords. Those could sell pretty damn high if you ask me. With a completely empty house he would've taken something..."

"Was anything damaged?" Mrs. Kitakawa piped in.

"Well…he did leave a big dent in a motorcycle in _your_ garage."

_**A Month Later…**_

The commotion from the theft incident had settled and all was back to normal. Kisho's motorcycle was fixed without his parents' knowledge of how it actually got a dent in it but that was probably for the better. The burglar hadn't returned and so far all was good and Mr. Riroshi was going to return that day.

Kazuki sat in front of a mirror with a complete look of despair on his face. He gently patted the end of his hair with its new length. Mrs. Kitakawa didn't cut it short but the trim that she said she was going to give him turned out to be six inches more then he expected. Well…at least no one was calling him a little girl anymore.

"I'm home!" Mr. Riroshi shouted as he came through the door.

Kazuki immediately ran to go greet him. He ran up to him and immediately gave him a hug.

Mr. Riroshi stiffened a bit and gently hugged Kazuki back. "My, did you miss me?" When Kazuki let go he gently patted his side. "I'm not as young as I used too, if I was younger I would've been out there right after surgery."

Mrs. Kitakawa came walked in from outside and smiled. "Did you see Kazuki's hair? I finally talked him into cutting it."

Kisho walked passed the door with Mr. Kitakawa, "More like tricked him…" Both of them walked down to the garage.

Mrs. Kitakawa laughed nervously. "He needed a trim anyways." She shut the door behind her and sighed.

Knock, Knock, Knock

"Um…I'll get that?" Mrs. Kitakawa stuttered. She opened the door and outside stood the policeman from a month earlier.

Mr. Riroshi stepped forward and raised an eyebrow. "Can I help you officer?"

"I'm here to talk to Kazuki sir."

"May I ask why?"

Before the police officer could respond Mrs. Kitakawa jumped in and covered the police officer's mouth. "Well, Kazuki helped stop a burglary in our garage a month ago. Lucky Kazuki heard something and chased the man away!" She gave the officer a crooked smile. "Isn't that right Mr. Officer."

"Um…yes?" The police officer responded.

"Good…now right this way Mr. Officer…" Mrs. Kitakawa ushered the man out of the building and stepped outside. "I don't think anything happened. The man was probably looking for something particular. I don't want to give Mr. Riroshi anymore stress."

"Fine…but if the kid says anything call the police station." The man groaned. He grabbed a piece of paper from a notepad he kept in his back pocket. He gave her the number and left.

Mrs. Kitakawa sighed and put the number in her pocket. She came back in the apartment where the two were waiting and she forced a smile. "What a nice man to come check up on Kazuki."

"Indeed." Mr. Riroshi smiled; he looked over at Kazuki. "But next time let's see you get him with a sword." Mr. Riroshi got up and walked over to his various swords. He picked a lighter one off the wall and walked over to Kazuki, handing it to him.

Kazuki looked at it and his eyes got wide and excited. "_Really_?"

"Of course!" He turned to Mrs. Kitakawa and smiled. "I knew this kid was special 'eh?" He grabbed Kazuki's hand and changed how he was holding it. "A real kid to be proud of…"

"Ya, he really is…" Mrs. Kitakawa commented.

2 Years Later… 

Mr. Riroshi and Kazuki had transformed the living room into their own personal training station. All furniture had been removed, as had the carpet. The swords still remained in their rightful place on the walls.

Mr. Riroshi had now turned fully gray and Kazuki was nearly out of his puny stage. Years of soccer at school had insured that and since he started junior high recently he was out for track as well. His fighting skills were well for his age but he was far from being a master. He knew only basic techniques and maneuvers, nothing extraordinary. That was something Mr. Riroshi was going to teach him when he was much older.

At the moment Mr. Riroshi was teaching Kazuki some blocking techniques. Unfortunately with Mr. Riroshi now in his 60's he isn't as great with a sword as he used to be. By the time he was 65 he agreed to retire from teaching anyone sword fighting except for Kazuki.

While Mr. Riroshi was striking Kazuki he thought he heard something and he stopped. Mr. Riroshi nearly sliced his head off but luckily he stopped when he saw that Kazuki wasn't paying attention.

Mr. Riroshi groaned and rested the tip of his sword on the ground. "What's wrong with you? You're not going to get better if you keep on spacing off."

"I…I thought I heard something…" Kazuki inched opened the door to the living and peaked out to find…

Nothing.

He shook his head and closed the door. "I must be imagining things. Want to just stop for today dad? I need some sleep."

"Sure kid." Mr. Riroshi agreed. Both he and Kazuki began hanging their swords on the wall.

Creak…

Kazuki turned around to see the door was slightly left ajar. He cautiously walked over to close it.

When he reached the door hands clasped around his neck lifting him up into the air.

"Hello Riroshi." The man taunted. He tightened his grip on the poor boy's fragile neck. "How are we doing this evening?"

Mr. Riroshi nearly had a heart attack when he heard the voice. He turned around and growled, "Put him down now Yutaka." Mr. Riroshi grabbed for one of the swords on the wall.

The man kept his mask on and smiled. "I'm glad that you remembered me Mr. Riroshi. Most people wouldn't remember students."

"Yes—well, most people remember terrible students." Mr. Riroshi hissed. "Now put him down! He has nothing to do with you!"

"That's where you're wrong. Anybody that has anything to do with you has everything to do with me." The man used his other hand to rub the back of his head. "Also this kid gave me a bit of a scar on the back of my head a few years ago."

"I told you eight years ago I wanted nothing to do with you and that still applies today! You were a horrible and reckless student!"

The man laughed. "I was also a reckless driver…" The man mocked. "Remember that accident a few years back? The one with your family?" The man dropped Kazuki and held his hands up in a victory pose. "All me, I left some bottles to make them think it was just another drunk accident." He laughed. "My job is to make you miserable old man. Don't worry, I have no intentions on killing you." He went to step on Kazuki to hold him down but the boy was now gone. "Huh? What the hell?"

"YOU BASTARD!" Kazuki screamed as he slashed his sword at the man.

The man dodged and kneed him in the gut. Kazuki fell to the ground writhing in pain.

"Just stay out of my way kid…" He kicked him again. The man smiled and walked over to Mr. Riroshi grinning viciously. "As soon as I get done with you I'm killing the boy."

"You touch him and I'll make sure you burn in hell." Mr. Riroshi warned as he held up his sword.

The man laughed and grabbed the sword out of the old man's hands. He punched him in the stomach and he fell to the floor.

Kazuki's vision was getting blurry now. What happened next was blurry and hard to make out. He could hear the man knock out his dad then check the body. He heard loud cursing then Yutaka kicked Mr. Riroshi's body. When Yutaka took his sword to Mr. Riroshi he could clearly see the sword and blood but everything was blurred out. He remembered Yutaka walking over to him and grabbing his hair pulling his head back whispering something.

"He's no use to me now, I'll just make your life miserable and you won't even remember it…"

All Kazuki could see was the blade and it coming down…


	20. See You Soon

See you soon

Kazuki literally woke up screaming and thrashing his arms. He couldn't recognize the people who rushed into the room trying to hold him down. A needle was inserted into his neck and his vision became even more blurry but he was much more calm now. Once again he fell asleep.

The second time Kazuki woke up he was much more coherent. He could see clearly and no one came rushing to the room. Kazuki eyes darted back and forth across the room. He wasn't in his own room but rather a hospital room. He sank back into his pillow barely able to breath. He tried to calm down but everything was much too clear for him now.

He felt some of the scars on his body. Most were still there, old and new. He sat up and put his legs over the bed. He shuddered uncontrollably. Maybe he had dreamed everything. Maybe he was still just a 12-year-old kid ready for his dad to take him home. Kazuki felt tears slide down his face and even flow over the cross on his cheek. He wasn't sad, just overwhelmed with all the emotions he didn't have time to feel earlier.

He shook his head and continued to cry. "No…if none of this hadn't happened I wouldn't have these scars." He stood up and walked over to a mirror. His hair was shorter now. It had been cut in his sleep to get some blood out. His eyes were wide and his face was pale. Scars were everywhere on his body, from large to big ones. Some of the bigger ones was a scar right on his side, one on his foot, plenty on his neck, the cross on his check, and a deep gash on his back.

Click

Kazuki could hear someone opening the door so he rushed to it and slammed it shut. As soon as it was completely shut he bolted it shut and sighed. He wanted just a little bit more time by himself. He could hear pounding on the other side. He grabbed a chair sitting by his bed and he wedged it under the doorknob. The pounding persisted for a little while more then there was silence. He sighed with relief and sat down on the bed.

"Did I really do all that…?" He asked himself falling back. He closed his eyes and imagined the vivid memories of what happened from the time he woke up in a trance from the time he was knocked out from Kenshin.

"Kenshin…" Kazuki said the name quietly. "He was going to kill me. I was going to die…" He sat up with a quick jolt. "Holy shit what if I did die?" He ran over to the window and opened it. A breeze came in and he sighed in relief. The view was of Tokyo, not some heavenly paradise—or a fiery hell.

Rattle

Someone was trying to open the door again. He heard an awkward sliding noise and then a swooping noise. He raised an eyebrow and walked over to the door.

The door fell in two pieces and Kazuki was pinned to the wall.

Kenshin frowned and kept the blade to Kazuki's neck. Kazuki eyes were wide with horror and Kenshin saw this. His eyes had lost their yellow color and were back to violet. Kenshin sighed and put his blade back in his sheath. Kazuki slid against the wall gasping for air. He didn't realize that he had stopped breathing for a while.

"It's safe to come in." Kenshin shouted.

After saying this the Kitakawas, Sanosuke, Inuyasha, and Kagome came in. Kazuki just sat there like a scared rabbit. He was panting waiting for someone to say something but they all just stood there staring at him. If he hadn't cried already he would've cried again. He gulped and finally Inuyasha said something.

"I guess Kagura was right when Naraku left. He was going to turn back to normal with the rat lady gone." Inuyasha muttered.

Finally Mrs. Kitakawa broke down crying and ran over to Kazuki. She leaned down and held him in her arms. "Are you okay?" She asked through tears. "It's alright now…you're home."

Sanosuke sat down in a chair and crossed his arms and legs. "So what exactly happened to Kazuki?"

Kagome took a seat on the bed and explained what Kagura had explained to them. "Well, while we were fighting Naraku some demon woman tried to protect him and Inuyasha killed her. After Naraku fled—again, Kagura came back. She saw what had happened to the woman, I think she said her name was Salali, and she explained that Salali had taken control of Kazuki." Kagome took the jewel shard out of her pocket that had started it all and studied it. "I was supposed to be the one infected by the blood. But Kazuki found it first."

Sanosuke raised and eyebrow at her remark. "Okay Kagome, exactly how did Naraku plan on getting the shard inside of you?"

Kagome shook her head and shrugged her shoulders. "I don't really know, but it wasn't the shard that was necessary, it was the blood on the shard. So the rabid squirrel Kazuki was talking about when we first met was probably on its way to bite me."

"Okay…another question…how did the squirrel get to this time?"

Kagome stopped for a moment to think. "Hm…maybe it followed me and snuck along? I don't know!" She fell onto the bed spreading her arms. "But the demon's blood was able to control take control of people…or act like a poison in Inuyasha's case."

Sanosuke put up his hand and pressed each finger as he began to list stuff off. "Okay, so let me try to get this straight. Squirrel travels to this time, looks for you, but Kazuki finds it first and gets the jewel shard. But—because Kazuki wasn't bitten or whatever your theory was he didn't get put under the jewel's control. So afterwards when he comes back to Kenshin's time and mine and he puts the jewel shard in the blood finally begins to infect him. So finally when Kazuki is knocked out it finally takes full control and—BAM! Kazuki is under mind-control."

"I think that's the jiff of it…" Kagome groaned.

A cold chill went down Sanosuke's spine and he grabbed his shoulders. "God dammit I hate demons. Just thinking about them gives me the chills." Sanosuke looked over at Kazuki through the corner of one of his eyes. "So, does the kid remember any of it?"

"I don't think…" Kagome began.

"Every last bit of it…" Kazuki muttered. He let out a deep breath. Kazuki shuddered from the thoughts that passed through his mind. "I…I…I don't know." He stuttered.

Inuyasha sat next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. Kazuki brushed it aside and just sat there. Inuyasha frowned. "It's not your fault you know that."

Mrs. Kitakawa hugged Kazuki and rocked him lightly. "He's right, it's not your fault. Just like it wasn't your fault last time…"

Kazuki rested his face on his knees and mumbled something.

"What?" Mrs. Kitakawa asked.

"I remember who killed dad…"

Immediately Inuyasha's, Kagome's, Sanosuke's, and Kenshin's eyes looked at Mr. Kitakawa with sheer shock. He didn't look dead…or was he…

Mr. Kitakawa's eyes darted back forth around the room and he swatted Inuyasha's hand. "No!" He yelped.

Kisho rolled his eyes and scoffed, "Why, you guys are bright!" He put his hand to his forehead and shook his head in disbelief. "Wow—That's not Kazuki's 'dad'. Kazuki has been adopted." He lifted up two fingers. "In fact, twice."

Kagome sat up. "I guess that explains a bit…especially why you were mean to me."

Kisho cleaned out his ears with his pinky. "No…I was mean because I just don't like you."

Mr. Kitakawa cleared his throat. "Instead of rambling on Kisho would you let Kazuki finish?" He nodded at Kazuki. "So what do you remember."

Kazuki shook his head and sighed. "It's not important…wherever that guy is he's long gone…" He gave Kagome and Inuyasha a grief-stricken expression. "Are Sango and Miroku okay?"

"Feh, they're a little beat up but they'll come to." Inuyasha grumbled. "Nothing a little while off won't cure."

Kagome knelt down next to Kazuki and forced a smile. "Don't worry, we're all fine. Everything will be back to normal." Her expression became a little sadder. "We deal with this…all…the time…"

Kazuki stare was blank and he looking at a single tile on the hard floor. "You've killed people you care about…" Kagome was about to say something to that but couldn't think of anything. "You become possessed frequently?" His voice was becoming harsher. "Kagome—I've had both of my birth parents taken away from me, I've had my adopted father taken away from me, and I watched all three of those people die right before my eyes." He was nearly screaming now and tears were streaming down his face. "But that…I've…Have you ever suffocated someone? Choked them to death?" He was nearly choking on tears. "I've never killed anyone in my life…and I've killed a whole village…I killed Meia…" He lifted his face up towards the ceiling. "Wow…I can't even describe how I feel. Whatever I didn't feel then I sure as hell feel now."

Kenshin walked over to Kazuki and slapped him.

"Oh my god, he just bitched slapped Kazuki!" Kisho yelped.

Kazuki sat there wide-eyed. Mrs. Kitakawa just covered her mouth in shock.

"Now…" Kenshin began. "Stop feeling sorry for yourself!" He stared Kazuki straight in the eye. "It wasn't your fault! If it hadn't been for you it would've been someone else! Just be glad that it was someone who actually felt remorse for their actions! You can make up for your mistakes." He shook his head softly. "When I was a manslayer I could stop my actions—you couldn't. You weren't yourself when you killed those people."

Mrs. Kitakawa interrupted Kenshin's moving speech. "Let's go home Kazuki…you can take them back tomorrow."

Kazuki rubbed the mark on his face and nodded. He had slapped his scar and it stung. He was no longer immune to pain without the jewel shard. Every inch of his being ached and made him want to throw up right at that instant. Mrs. Kitakawa helped him up and led him out of the room. The rest of his family soon followed.

Kagome looked over at Kenshin and Sanosuke. "I guess you two can spend the night at my place." She was kind of surprised to see that Kazuki didn't invite them over. "I'm sure that mother won't mind."

When the group arrived back at Kagome's house Mrs. Higarashi was more then willing to let the group stay at her house. She had already been told what had happened in the Feudal Era; she wasn't too surprised to see that Kazuki's mother hadn't invited them over. The whole time that Kazuki had been in feudal Japan with the group Mrs. Kitakawa had spent most of her time at their house, excluding the time she spent at work. Inuyasha went back to Feudal Japan and almost immediately the group went to bed. Sanosuke ended up sleeping on the couch in the living room and Kenshin slept in a recliner.

The next morning everyone in the house woke up to the doorbell ringing at about 7:00 in the morning. Kagome dragged herself out of bed and opened the door to see Kazuki standing there with his head hanging slightly.

Kagome let out a loud yawn and wiped her eyes with her fist. "Kazuki…" she said groggily, "what is it? Do you know what time it is…?"

"I need to take them back now." Kazuki grumbled. He looked up to see Sanosuke and Kenshin enter the room. "Unless _you_ plan on taking them back."

Kagome looked at him strangely. "Why so early though?"

Kazuki put his head down again and stared down at her doorstep. "We're leaving today."

"On vacation…?" Kagome questioned. She had a feeling she knew the real answer though.

Kazuki lifted his face. The expression wasn't sad, just emotionless. "No, we're moving." Before Kagome could respond he continued. "Ya, I know it's sudden. My mom said it'd be best if I got as far away from that blasted well…so I don't get 'temptations'."

Sanosuke scoffed a little and walked over to them and leaned against the doorframe. "Who does she think she is? A psychiatrist?"

Kazuki's felt a slight tug on his mouth and he smiled a little. "She _is_ a psychiatrist."

Sanosuke just frowned at him and Kazuki's smile quickly went away. Sanosuke walked outside and towards the Kitakawa house. "Let me talk to her…"

Kenshin grabbed Sanosuke's shoulder. "Let's go, we've been here long enough."

"But…"

Kenshin turned towards Kazuki and gave him a faint smile. "Let's go now."

Kagome decided to go with them back the Meiji Era. Kazuki jumped first down the well and the others followed after. Kagome was last to go down and when she came up the other three were already heading towards the dojo…

"Kenshin!" Someone shouted. It was Yahiko. He ran over to him and Kaoru jogged her way over. Kaoru had a basket full of groceries.

"You're back!" She exclaimed excitedly. "I thought we'd never see you again!" She glared at Kazuki. "Hey! What's the big deal snatching Kenshin like that!"

Yahiko gave her a suspicious glance. "What about Sanosuke…?"

Kaoru turned slightly red and got flustered. "Well, I-I—I…Hey! What's that supposed to mean you little brat?" She hit Yahiko over the head leaving a small bump. She turned back to Kazuki. "As for you…hey? What's wrong?"

Kazuki shook his head and started heading back to the well. "Nothing…bye…"

Sanosuke grabbed Kazuki's shoulder and whirled him around to face him. "Hey, come on. Stop feeling sorry for yourself. What you did happened a long time ago, decades—centuries." He thought for a moment. "I think? Well, it did happen a long time ago." He laughed nervously. He stopped and snapped his fingers. "Hey! How about you spend the night for awhile?" He nudged him lightly in the rib cage. "Mother isn't here to stop you…"

Kazuki forced a smile and shook his head. "Sorry."

Kaoru looked at Sanosuke and Kenshin trying to figure out what had happened but decided that they would have to tell her another time. She sighed and slumped her shoulders.

Kenshin rested his hand on Kazuki's shoulder. "I'm sorry that our time together couldn't be more pleasant." Kenshin gave him a warm smile. "Then again we're always together technically, but I'll miss you either way. Take care Kazuki, I hope that in time you can forgive yourself."

Kazuki nodded. "Bye guys…" Tears built up in his eyes but they didn't fall. "Maybe when I'm eighteen and outta Mom's care I can come and visit?"

Kenshin smiled. "Of course, I hope you can, that I do." He and the others started heading back to the dojo. "Bye Kagome, say good bye to everyone else! Until we meet again Kazuki!" He shouted back.

"Later kids!" Sanosuke added. "You better come back soon or I'll make sure _my _reincarnation kicks your ass."

When they were out of site Kazuki headed back to the well without saying anything else. When he got back there he sat on the edge on started to tear-up even worse. Kagome sat down next to him and gently put her arm around him. She patted his back and nearly started tearing up herself.

"It's okay Kazuki, you'll see them again." She reassured.

Kazuki shook his head. "I won't even be able to see you again."

"Why not?"

"Well, for one Kisho _hates_ your guts. He doesn't have a real reason…he just hates certain people." He wiped his eyes. "I'm not going to be able to come back here. I talked to Mom last night…she just said being here would cause nothing but trouble."

"You're family's pretty protective huh…" She gave him a concerned look.

"Ya…I was in pretty bad shape after Dad died. The Kitakawa's were all I had left." He sniffled and wiped his nose with his sleeve. "Damn, my life sounds like some bad online story plot, huh."

"Can you tell me? Just so it doesn't bug me for the rest of my life."

He nodded and sniffed again. "Well—when I was about five, I can't remember how old exactly, my real parents were in a bad car accident. So I was put in foster care, orphanage, adoption center, whatever you want to call it." He wiped his nose on his sleeve. "Dad's kid and grandson died in the same car crash."

"Wow—irony." Kagome said quietly. "So they hit each other?"

He shook his head. "No they didn't hit each other. They both got hit by a drunk driver, well, maybe it did a domino effect and…never mind just let me finish." He closed his eyes and thought for a moment trying to recall exactly what happened. "We were both left alone in the world so he took me in. We grew pretty close, after a few years he _was _my dad." Kazuki laughed a little and wiped his eyes. "Everyone thought I was his grandson but he'd always just smile and say I was his son. Then when I was…eight…I met the Kitakawas. They moved into the apartment next door. They became kind of a second family I guess. We were all like one big family kinda." He rubbed his eyes with the back of his other sleeve. "But one day when I was twelve while practicing sword fighting with Dad a man came…he killed him right in front of me."

"That's horrible…" Kagome whispered quietly to herself.

"I was put in the Kitakawa's custody." He sat there squeezing his eyelids tightly concentrating. "They took me out of school for a year and Mom spent most of her time concentrating on me. I wouldn't eat or sleep right so basically she had to make sure I taken care of." He opened his eyes again and looked at Kagome. "I got real skinny for a while." He turned his head straight ahead and stared at a squirrel intensely. He cringed at the site of it. "After a year of basically feeling sorry for myself Kisho came in to talk to me one day. He would've been—seventeen I think. He asked mom to leave and boy did I get my ass chewed out." Kazuki watched as the squirrel scampered back into the tree and he sighed. "He basically said that if I didn't stop feeling sorry for myself he was going to kick my ass. I just stared at him and basically he told me if I was gonna be sick and pitiful I might as well have someone to be sick and pitiful with." Kazuki put his hands in his pockets. "And out of that oversized jacket he pulled out the scrawniest puppy ever. He said he found it out wandering around aimlessly looking sorry and said it reminded him of me." Kazuki chuckled softly. "We hid her pretty well. We named the pup Temis. I shared my food with her—a lot of my food—boy did she get fat."

Kagome listened and nodded. She didn't mind Kazuki rambling. He had stopped crying now and looked kind of happy reminiscing.

"About a month after having Temis, Mom had me home schooled. Pops was a teacher and after he got home from work for about 2 hours he'd teach me the same stuff he taught his students. He taught me on weekends too. Kisho took me out to the track and we ran together. We took Temis too…I was too bony and he was too fat. I had been eating better though. Mom continued to give me the mental help I needed and she eventually found out about Temis. Since Temis helped me get better she let me keep her. When I was finally well enough to go back to public school my Mom wanted to give me a fresh start. She wanted me away from the apartments. I got to keep Dad's swords though. That was kind of cool. I couldn't remember a damned thing on how to use them so I was mad at myself for that. We then moved next door to you and I was going to be normal again…" He started to tear up again.

"Kazuki…"

"I was going to have a normal life!" He screamed. "I was going to go to school! I was going to have a family!" He held the sides of his head. "I had to go and screw it up again…" He whimpered. "Why was I so intent on going with you?" He stood up and clenched his fists. "Now Mom's going to have me home schooled again. She's going to think I'm going to get depressed. Hell, maybe I will."

Kazuki stood up and hugged him. "Kazuki, don't say that. You're going to be fine. You're stronger then that now." She looked up and smiled. "You got Kenshin's spirit remember?"

Kazuki smiled weakly and nodded. "I'm not going to get sick." He made her let go and he leaned over the edge of the well. "I just wish that I didn't always screw everything up."

"You don't Kazuki."

He shook his head. "You're a pretty tough person Kagome. I don't see how a sane person like you doesn't crack after going through that kind of stuff."

She reached into her pocket and put his jewel shard in his hand and she clenched his fist together. "Here, you keep it. Incase you can come back." She gave him a wide grin. "Or so I can find you if I need to see you." She pulled out a pen from her pocket. "Here…" She wrote her number on his arm. "Just give me a call anytime you want to talk."

Kazuki looked at his arm and smiled. "First time a girl has given me her phone number."

"Really?"

"Ya…not exactly Romeo here." He looked at his arm and sighed. "I don't think Mom will let me talk to you."

"Well, just think about it. Maybe one day you'll have a cell phone or something." She walked over to the well and latched onto him.

"I won't but thanks."

They both pulled their legs over the edge of the well.

"You never know. Maybe your mom would let you call me. Maybe even on a payphone."

"Sure Kagome, I promise to call you when pigs fly."

She laughed, "Just remember what you're saying. If that were to happen you do have to call."

He nodded and they both jumped down the well. As soon as he climbed out his mother was standing there with her arms crossed. Kazuki gulped and she pointed to her car. Kazuki jogged over and gave Kagome a faint wave. Kagome could see that once again he looked sad. Mrs. Kitakawa left without saying goodbye. She crawled into the drivers seat and they pulled out of the Higarashi driveway. Kagome waved as Kazuki left. Kazuki just smiled at her. Before she knew it Kazuki and the rest of the Kitakawa's were gone. Her mother walked over to her and hugged her.

"I'm sorry that things turned out like this honey." She said to her daughter trying to console her.

"Mom?"

"Yes honey?"

"I'm not crazy am I?" She asked turning to her mother. She frowned. "I mean, this stuff after awhile doesn't bother me as much. Sure I'm sad…but I'm not going to be depressed."

"Kagome, you're perfectly sane." She hugged her daughter tightly. "Some people just don't have your strength."

"Sure Mom, whatever you say." She said trying to sound happy. "I just wish that Kazuki…"

Mrs. Higarashi stopped her daughter from saying thing else and started leading her into the house. "Just be glad he's safe. Sometimes…you should just let things go."

Kagome stared at her mother and then nodded. "You're right." She started to head back to the well house.

"Honey! Where are you going?"

"Feudal Japan, where else?" Kagome shouted as she ran into the well house. "See you soon!"

"See you soon." Kagome's mother repeated.

**Water-Rose: Hopefully you all enjoyed this fic. There might be a sequel (Already 4 chapters complete). If you wish to see a sequel please say so in a review. The sequel will be a Inuyasha, Rurouni Kenshin, and Yu Yu Hakusho crossover. I have the whole thing plotted out and there would be an estimated 25 chapters. Please review! Thanks for everyone who has reviewed. Thanks sis for proofreading. Now, if you want the sequel please tell me so! I want to know if anyone would actually read it! If enough people tell me they want to see a fic then so it shall be. It would appear probably sometime in September. I think I forgot tosay something...oh well.I hope everyone enjoyed reading this! **


End file.
